The Marked Feraligatr
by Twisted List
Summary: Fifteen-year old Lyra is mentally unstable. Why? Well, when she was twelve-years old, she was attacked by a man and saw that same man killed right before her eyes by her own pokemon. How would your brain react to it? Rated M.
1. Prologue

**The Marked Feraligatr**

**Rated: M for Violence, Death, Self-injury Etc. **

_**A/N- I had this idea floating around in my head and I thought I'd upload it. I don't know if there are any stories out similar to this one so if there are, I'm not copying! I promise!**_

_**Also, I don't own Pokemon, I am just a fan of it.**_

_******Chapter 1- Prologue**_

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Lyra woke up screaming. She started to claw at her arms and screamed even more. Her mom burst through her bedroom door and ran to Lyra. She started struggling to stop her from injuring herself. With her now bloodied hands, Lyra grabbed her mom's face and started to push her away.

"He's dead, he's dead, he's dead," Lyra kept chanting out. Her mom backed up from Lyra and ran into the hallway. She grabbed her daughter's bag and rummaged through it until she found what she was looking for.

A pokeball.

She ran into Lyra's room and held the pokeball up for Lyra to see. She froze and started to cry. Lyra's mom put the pokeball down and ran downstairs for bandages. She ran back up after she found them and started fixing up Lyra's arms.

"_He was my best friend,"_ Lyra thought as she held the pokeball and released the pokemon inside it.

It was a Feraligatr. It looked just like any normal Feraligatr but this one was marked with a scar on its yellow jaw.

A scar it earned by protecting Lyra.

Lyra rolled out of her bed and onto the floor. Her Feraligatr sniffed the air and turned to Lyra's mom. She turned and walked out of Lyra's bedroom with nothing to say. Her Feraligatr gazed around the room then back to her. He walked over and plopped down next to her.

Three years ago, Lyra was walking down the forest path at night heading home. While walking, a man stopped her and started talking to her. She was enjoying the conversation until the man took out a knife and ended up throwing her on the ground. He got on top of her and started cutting her wrists. He cut long gashes into her legs and then started on her neck. She screamed for help until her voice went hoarse.

Within seconds of her screams, her Feraligatr summoned itself out of its pokeball and acted. He blasted the guy with water and watched as the man flew. Lyra laid in pain as she felt blood starting to trickle out from the small cut he had placed on her neck. With a shaky hand, she touched it and winced.

Was she going to die here?

She tried to sit up but couldn't. She heard her Feraligatr fending off the man. The man charged at her feraligatr and stabbed it in the one side of its massive yellow jaw. He pulled the knife down and out. He went to stab it again but was stopped dead in his tracks.

Literally.

Lyra's Feraligatr chomped down on the man's neck. Blood and desperate cries seeped through the Feraligatr's teeth. Lyra's feraligatr chomped down once more and felt the man's head detach from his body. Lyra, who has just sat up, screamed at the sight.

Her Feraligatr just killed another human.

She watched as her Feraligatr let the man's body fall onto the ground and ate the man's head. Blood and brain matter shot out from his mouth and hit Lyra. She was shaking in fear and then she screamed and cried. Her Feraligatr looked around for any more threats then sat down next to her.

The only thing he didn't know was how greatly Lyra was scarred.

She was only twelve and was a happy-go-lucky girl. She never had experienced such violence and was innocent.

Where was her innocence now? She was just harshly attacked and witnessed her Feraligatr kill another human. Her brain started to derail. After the whole event was over, she sat and cried at the sight of the man. He was soaked with his own blood, his clothes were tattered and he was headless.

Officer Jenny was on her usual patrol route when she found Lyra and the sight. She rushed Lyra to the hospital and called in the crime. She started looking over the crime and Lyra's current state when Lyra's mother came in minutes later. She was highly disturbed at what she was told.

Lyra's mental stability was starting to fade.

She would sit there and ramble on how the man attacked her. He had cut deeply into her wrists, the sides of her legs and had started cutting into her neck when she was saved by her feraligatr. She even started talking about voices in her head. Doctors sat in awe watching this once happy-go-lucky girl losing her mind.

Days after the attack, she stopped using her pokemon. All the adults would give her evil looks and talk about how she was insane. Her classmates made fun of her and she ended up losing all her friends but one.

Ethan.

After he learned about the attack, he went to the hospital by himself and sat there with her. He ended up crying when he first saw her.

Her everlasting smile was gone. Her emerald eyes had faded into a dull, lifeless green full of pain and fear. Her brown hair was tattered and seemed dirty even though she had taken multiple baths.

He held her hand as she cried in hysterics and talked to her when everyone else gave her the cold shoulder. He was her best friend and he had set a goal.

To see her everlasting smile reappear.

He tried his best to make her smile. When she was released from the hospital, he even took her to the amusement park.

Ethan was the only person who made her feel sane.

Lyra also lost her father because of the incident. He was away when the attack had happened and Lyra's mother couldn't contact him. When he got home a few days later, he was disgusted at the sight of his precious daughter. He blamed the whole thing on his wife. How dare she let their daughter experience such pain. He left late one night not telling anyone and her mother started to cave.

Lyra's mom started going out and staying out late. She'd come back wasted and scream at Lyra at how everything was her fault. Lyra would just sit there holding her hands together wishing that she was never born. She didn't want to be the cause of her mothers unhappiness.

Lyra would go out of her way to stay out of the house and out of her mother's way. She'd go out to the woods and just sit there till the moon came out. When she got back home, she'd quickly eat something, and then go to bed without saying a word to her mother. She didn't want anyone to feel like her.

She was miserable and no one wanted to help her but Ethan. The doctors kept prescribing higher dosages of meds every time she would act out. Her mom sat in self pity. Other adults loathed her presence and ever her teachers stopped talking to her.

It had been three years since the whole event and she had only gotten a little bit better. She recently started using her pokemon. Her Furret was excited and full of energy when Lyra had released her from her pokeball. The rest of her pokemon were also excited but were bewildered at how much she changed. Her Feraligatr was the only one who sat in silence.

She had also recently turned fifteen and was still having nightmares about the whole thing. She'd wake up and start to injure herself. One time, she ended up hurting her mom. Her mom had to drive herself all the way to the hospital because Lyra had impaled her arm with a pencil.

Lyra was trying her best to get better but with the little support, she was falling hard. She had only her best friend Ethan and her pokemon that she had abandon for a whole three years now.

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**A/N- I hope you enjoyed Chapter 1! Stay tuned for Chapter 2. Also, Chapters should be longer then Chapter 1 because this was just giving background info!**


	2. Frantic Thoughts and School

**The Marked Feraligatr**

**Rated: M for Violence,****Death, Self-injury Etc.**

_**Chapter 2- Frantic Thoughts and School**_

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Lyra woke up on the floor. She sat up and look

ed at her alarm clock. It was seven in the morning. Lyra stood up and opened up her dresser pulling out her usual outfit. She walked over to her long mirror, took her hat off of it, and put it on. She walked down the stairs and sat at the table.

She held her hands together and looked around frantically. Her mom wasn't down here making breakfast like she usually did.

"_What if something happened to her? What if someone killed her? What if she died in her sleep? What am I going to do?"_ she thought. She started digging her nails into her skin and her breath started to hitch.

What if she was alone?

She stood up and screamed. She ran upstairs and into her mom's room. Inside her mom was on her bed. She looked for any slight movement and was relieved when she saw her mom's chest rise and fall. She walked back down the stairs and past the kitchen. She put her shoes on, grabbed her bag, and walked out the door.

"You need food Lyra," yelled a woman's voice. Lyra froze and looked up at her mom. Her mom was sticking out of the window and was frowning.

"Get back in the house, I'll make you something real quick," Her mom said as she disappeared from the window. Lyra walked back in the house and screamed a bit as she took of her shoes and threw her bag down on the ground.

Lyra held her head again and started to shake.

"My, My, what a loving mother; She is actually doing something other than drinking," cursed a voice in her head.

"Shut up!" She screamed out in reply to the voice. Her mom looked over her shoulder and glared. She turned back around and finished making Lyra breakfast and placed it in front of her. She sat across from Lyra and waited for her to eat. Lyra just looked at the food and shook.

"Eat it now, Lyra," She hissed out. With a shaky hand, Lyra grabbed the fork near her and started to eat the pancakes her mom made her. They were burned a bit but still tasted pretty good. Lyra drank a glass of milk then headed for the door.

"Be good and don't start anything or I'll have to call the doctor. Understand?" She said. Lyra shook her head frantically, put her shoes back on and grabbed her bag. She walked out and started down the path to Cherrygrove High.

"Hey Lyra!" shouted Ethan. Lyra turned around and waved at him. Ethan smiled and ran up to her.

"How is your day going today?" Ethan asked as he beckoned his Marill to his side. His Marill ran happily to his side and nudge him playfully. He rubbed her head and looked back at Lyra. Her eyes were wide and full of paranoia.

"Is something wrong Lyra?" Ethan asked as his Marill started running around. Lyra shook her head 'no' and walked forward to school. Ethan frowned as he watched Lyra walk on ahead without him. He ran to catch up with her.

"So what's like to be fifteen Lyra?"

"It's just like being fourteen," Lyra mumbled out as she started biting her lip and digging her nails into her palm. Ethan grabbed her hand and unraveled it.

"You need to stop doing that! Look what is happening to your hands," He sternly said as he showed her the damage. Her palms were littered with indents and blood was prickling at the recent cuts. He sighed and opened up his backpack.

Lyra flinched as she felt Ethan wipe her palms with a cloth and then watched as he put band aids on her palms. He smiled at her and dropped her hands lightly.

"What are you doing talking to him? I've told you time and time again he's going to hurt you," The same voice chanted out. Lyra bit her lip as she felt the voice floating around her head. Ethan smiled at her again.

"Run," the voice shouted angrily.

Lyra's eyes went wide with fear at the voice and she turned and ran.

"Hey! Wait for me Lyra," Ethan shouted as he ran after here. Lyra was panting hard from running when she got to school. She looked around the crowds of people for Ethan. She heard the voice chanting more words when Lyra felt herself filling with anger.

"Shut up, I'm the one in control," She shouted. All the people around her looked at her and laughed about how she was crazy and going insane. Her eyes went wide again and her eyes began to fill up with tears. She made a few noises then ran around to the back of the school.

She looked and sat under the nearby willow tree. The willows made a soothing noise in the wind and she could actually relax without being interrupted by the two voices that lived inside her head. She breathed deeply and looked around. No one else was back here.

She opened up her backpack and pulled out her pokemon. She watched as her pokemon ran around the place playing sitting there until the bell rang. She frantically summoned all her pokemon back to their pokeballs then ran inside. On her way to homeroom, she saw Ethan.

"Run," The same voice echoed. Lyra felt her eye twitched and grabbed a hold of her head. Ethan wasn't evil or mean to her so why did she have to run? Why did she have to run away from the one person who actually thought kindly of her? She shook her head and saw Ethan walking over to her.

"Hey Lyra, was something wrong this morning? You seemed a bit out of it," Ethan asked as he put his hand on her back and patted it. Lyra tensed up and looked at him. Ethan moved his hand and mumbled sorry.

"It's uh… fine I'm just a bit uh… out of it I guess," Lyra said as she felt the voice pulsating through her head. She grimaced as it started getting louder. Ethan smiled meekly.

"I hope you have a good day. See you at lunch Lyra," Ethan said as he waved and walked off. Lyra just felt her eye twitch and walked away to her homeroom.

When lunch came around, Lyra was in tears. Manson, grandson of some great business man, had been insulting her earlier. He was saying at how she was going to be in the loony bin one day and no one would be there for her. That couldn't be true because she would always have Ethan. Right?

She shook her head and walked over to Ethan. Ethan was sitting with a kid talking and Lyra stopped in her tracks. She didn't want to ruin Ethan's social life. She turned and went to walk away until she heard him recognize her. He beckoned her over and she complied against her own wishes.

"Hey Lyra, I want you to meet Silver. We use to hang out went we were little kids," Ethan said as he pointed to Silver. Silver just shrugged and took a bite of his salad. Lyra gritted her teeth and said 'hi'.

"So, you're Lyra huh? From what Ethan says, you're pretty cool," Silver said sarcastically. Lyra started to dig her nails into her palms again. This was just too much for her. She twitched and Ethan looked over at Silver.

"Silver, the sarcasm isn't appreciated."

"Bite me. This whole town can bite me. There is a reason to why I moved away from here," Silver spat out. Ethan rolled his eyes and looked over at the clock.

"Lunch isn't over for another twenty minutes; can you just deal with life for that long?"

"I don't have an issue with life, I have an issue with people," Silver spat out again. Ethan sighed and took a bite out of his sandwich and mumbled whatever. Lyra opened her bag with her shaky hands and rummaged through and wasn't shocked when she noticed her lunch was gone.

She smacked her hand off the table and seethed a bit. How could she be so forgetful? Silver raised an eyebrow in question and anger while Ethan just looked at her.

"Something wrong?"

"My lunch… I forgot to grab it… out of the fridge," She said as her eye twitched. Ethan rummaged through his lunch box and pulled out another sandwich.

"You're lucky I'm always prepared," Ethan chuckled out and handed her the sandwich. She said thanks and looked her sandwich. She took a bite and wondered about her mom. Why did her mom always go out and not come back till the late hours of the night? Was it to get away from her? Was it so she could stay sane? Lyra swallowed and took another bite.

Another thing is how she gave up her dream of being a pokemon master. After the attack, she just stopped everything pokémon. She remembered the last look her Feraligatr gave her before she put him back in his pokeball.

Regret.

She didn't know how a pokemon could feel such emotions. Only humans were supposed to feel that right? Lyra shook her head and took another bite. It wasn't like Lyra didn't love her pokemon. She loved them it was just that she couldn't stand the thought of going through the same thing again. If it can happen once, it could happen again.

She finished eating her sandwich and looked at Ethan. He was arguing with Silver about something she didn't know about. She winced at them as they started raising their voices even louder. Ethan noticed Lyra from the corner of his eye and looked over at her.

"Sorry for yelling Lyra."

"He's the devil Lyra. He'll leave you just like your father did," the voice said coldly. Lyra curled her hands and started digging into her palms.

"It's ugh… fine," Lyra said as she felt her head ache from the voice telling her to get away. Ethan placed his hand on her forehead and she tensed up. The voice got louder and Lyra grimaced.

"Are you sick Lyra?"

"N-No, I'm not," Lyra said as she removed his hand. She looked at him and started to cry. Ethan jumped up while Silver just looked at her, shrugged, and kept eating.

"Did I make you cry? What's wrong? I'm sorry if I did anything to make you upset Lyra."

"No, No, you didn't… it's just that the voice is being… annoying," Lyra said as she rested her head onto the table. Ethan looked over at Silver and watched him shrug, get up and walk off. Annoyed, Ethan sighed then looked back at Lyra.

"We'll just tell them to leave you alone. You can block them out can't you?Ethan asked as he rested his hand on her back and rubbed her back to soothe her. She tensed up and shook.

"The voices, they're making me go …" Lyra said as she felt tears well up in her eyes. Ethan frowned when he heard a chuckle. He looked up and growled when he saw Manson. Manson had an unimportant girl hanging off his arm and had a huge smirk on his face.

"Well, is she going to admit it or not?"

"Shut up Manson. Why don't you go screw that slut on your arm," Ethan hissed out as he turned his back to Manson and focused back on Lyra. Manson pushed the unimportant girl off of him, tapped Ethan's shoulder and punched him in the face. Ethan grimaced and held his face as Manson walked off screaming curse words left and right.

Silver, who was walking back in the cafeteria, saw Ethan holding his face and sighed. He couldn't leave Ethan alone without him getting hurt by defending the weak. How annoying.

Lyra sat up straight and looked at Ethan. He let go off his face and shook her head clear of the shock of being punched. He grimaced then looked at Lyra. Her face was dripping with tears at the sight of him. He wiped his face off and smiled lightly.

"I'm sorry for causing that" Lyra whispered as she wiped her face. Ethan chuckled lightly

"I'm alright Lyra. Don't worry about it. Manson is a dick to everyone," Ethan said as he stood up and stretched. Silver sat down and huffed.

"I hate people, especially people here," Silver said as he stared off in the distance. Lyra twitched and looked around the room. Most of the people left which meant lunch was over. She poked Ethan and started to walk out. Ethan waved by bye Silver and joined Lyra.

Silver shrugged his shoulders again and walked out the other doors. He didn't want to be included in their walk anyways.

While walking down the halls, Ethan noticed Lyra's hands fresh with blood. He picked her hands up and felt her tense up and grimaced at the sight. The bandages he had put on earlier were torn and soaked with blood.

He made Lyra sit down on the nearby bench as he washed he took out a water bottle and cleaned her hands. He wiped them clean and then reapplied new bandages on her hands.

"You need to stop this Lyra. It's not helping you out," Ethan said softly as Lyra looked at her hands. Her eye twitched and she stood up. She walked forward leaving him behind and he just sighed.

"Wait up for me, Lyra," Ethan shouted.

Ethan smiled at Lyra when he caught up with her and only received an empty look. He felt his heart sink and looked at the ground with a frown. He was going to make her everlasting smile come back and make her back to her old self. It was his mission.

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**A/N- Hope you enjoy chapter 2 and thanks for the favorites! Greatly appreciated! Stay tuned for Chapter 3!**

**(Update 11/4/12 I Changed Gary to be some random kid named Manson. Reason is because Green = Gary and This story and my other story "Ending of a King's Reign" meet together for a bit and I had this planned out and forgot when typing this chapter up. I just read it again and noticed this error! So I'll be fixing it up +~+!) **


	3. Voice Recognition

**The Marked Feraligatr**

**Rated: M for Violence, Death, Self-Injury Etc.**

_**Chapter 3- Voice Recognition**_

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Lyra walked out the school doors and sighed. She never had a good day at school. The teachers would always make sure she sat in the back, even if she was the first person there. Other kids would avoid her or insult her. It was hard to deal with it all when a certain voice taunted her about it. She didn't share all her classes with Ethan so he wasn't there to support or protect her.

She walked over to a bench and sat down waiting for Ethan. She sat there holding her hands together until Ethan joined her. Ethan smiled at her and readjusted his backpack before talking.

"Alright Lyra, ready to go?" Ethan said as he stood in front of her. Lyra shook her head 'yes' and stood up, walking ahead of him. Ethan caught up with her and started talking about how his day went. Halfway home, Lyra looked over at the forest and sighed in relief. In a bit, she'd be in that same forest relaxing from school.

The forest held a special spot in her heart because it was one place where the voice didn't bother her as much. She could sit for hours in the forest and not hear one peep from the damn thing. Ethan walked her to her house and said his goodbyes. Lyra went inside her house, made herself a quick lunch, and went upstairs.

She started unpacking her bag and made sure to grab out all her pokeballs. She looked at them intently and sighed. She'd like to let them out but her room wasn't big enough to let them all run around. She placed them on her bed and walked over to her desk. She sat and did her homework, cringing and twitching each time she got stuck on a problem.

After an hour and a half, she finally finished her homework. She looked at the clock and bit her lip. It was five-thirty and that meant her mom was leaving for the night. She waited in her room listening to her mom grabbing a few things and heading out the door. She heard the car roar to life and then listened as it disappeared.

Lyra got up from her desk and grabbed her bag, remembering to put her pokemon in the bag, along with her swimsuit. She ran down the stairs and into the kitchen, grabbing a few things for the night. She walked out of the house and looked at the sun setting. Lyra's eye twitched as she looked away. She turned left and headed to the one place she could count on to calm her.

"Going to the forest? Why? To get away from such horrible people? They'll eventually find your hiding place," The voice said mockingly. Lyra felt herself starting to grind her teeth together and her hands curling. She started humming to try and block out the voice but the voice seemed to be just a bit louder than her humming.

She grabbed her head and started digging into her skin. She screamed loudly as she made herself bleed from her head. The voice laughed manically as she finally let go of her head and cried. She ran until she reached the entrance of the forest.

When she reached the forest, she ran inside, and up the weathered dirt path to the waterfall. She looked at the waterfall and felt herself twitch all over. She loved water more than anything. She looked around for anyone and quickly changed into her swimsuit.

She summoned out all her pokemon and watched them all run around. Her Furret and Feraligatr were in the water messing around, while her Togetic, Ampharos and Nidoqueen were sitting around the lake at the bottom of the waterfall. Lyra called up her Furret and rode on the back of it down the waterfall. She screamed a few times which scared her Furret almost making it lose its focus.

She cringed when she felt the cuts on her head be bit with water. It hurt horribly. When her Furret got her to the bottom, she jumped off and plunged deep into the water. She swam around, relaxing in the cool, clean water. After some time swimming, she noticed it was getting to be dark. She called her Furret over and had it take her back up the waterfall so she could grab her stuff.

Once on top, she quickly changed, summoned her pokemon back and just sat on a rock. She was tired from swimming so much. She sat relaxing her head on a rock until she heard rustling from the bushes. She tensed up and looked around with her eyes full of fear.

She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for whatever it was to attack her. Her heart started beating wildly, she started curling her hands, digging into her skin, and she was breathing erratically. She then heard something splash in the water. She got up and slowly walked over to the edge of the waterfall and gasped at who she saw.

It was Silver. He was dressed in just a pair of black shorts. She backed up and looked at the edge of the waterfall. He just jumped from here, landed in the water with no problem! Lyra felt herself panic at what Silver just did. He could have killed himself!

Lyra walked back over to her stuff, picked it up and started down until she heard something echo off the sides of the rocks surrounding the waterfall. Her ears perked up and she felt herself dripping in awe.

Silver was singing. She dropped her stuff and walked back to the edge watching him sitting on a rock singing. Lyra listened to the words and felt tears prickling in her eyes. Silver was singing a lullaby most parents sung to their kids. She started sobbing silently at the memories of her dad floating back to her.

Whenever she was sad, mad or just cranky, he'd sing this song because it was her favorite and always calmed her down. It wasn't fair that she lost her dad because of what happened three years ago. Ethan still had his parents and a younger sister who loved him very dearly. She had nothing.

She bit her lip until she tasted blood and she started shaking. She stumbled when she went to walk away and fell over the edge. She screamed loudly and start failing her arms to try and catch herself. She saw her Feraligatr swimming furiously down waterfall to catch her until everything went black.

"_Are you worthy?" a voice said in Lyra's head. Lyra's eyes snapped open and she felt herself floating. She tried to search her surroundings but it was no use. It was pitch black and squinting her eyes wasn't helping. She tried to move but the floating feeling didn't allow her. She struggled against the force until she heard the voice again._

"_Your worth will be proved one day; you're the stepping stone for many others," chanted out the same voice from before. Lyra grabbed her head and cried out in pain._

Lyra opened her eyes and started gasping for air. She sat up and looked around the place. She wasn't in her room and she was confused. The last thing she remembered was her falling to her death so, why wasn't she dead? She started looking for her bag when she heard the door to the room creak open. She tensed up and stared at the door, fearing for the worst. When she saw the person, she relaxed a bit.

It was Silver.

He walked up to the bed and sat down on the black covers sighing.

"You're pathetic, it's no wonder why Ethan is best friends with you. You're so freaking weak," Silver mumbled out under his breath .Lyra cringed and looked at Silver. Why couldn't he just be nice? He clicked his tongue off the roof of his mouth and glared at Lyra. ]

"So, what exactly where you doing at the waterfall last night?" Silver asked as he turned facing her. Lyra just sat there and felt her eye twitch. Silver kept staring at her until he finally gave up. He sighed loudly and looked the other way.

Lyra bit her lip and looked at the poster next to his bed. It was a poster of a band named 'Rocket Boys', which was a group of three boys who use to be part of team rocket. Lyra didn't listen to much music because it stirred the voice up and she couldn't stand the voice.

Silver stood up and walked out his room, mumbling about Lyra. Lyra watched him leave and grabbed her head. She couldn't even answer his question. She pouted while looking around his room absorbing in the décor. The walls were painted black with a pair of red-orange eyes. The carpet was silver and clean, except near his desk. There were scattered papers, pens, and books.

Lyra rolled off the bed, cringing a bit when she hit the floor. She looked at the door then the desk, making sure Silver didn't hear her roll off the bed. She didn't know whether she was allowed out of the bed or not. She started crawling over to the desk until she noticed the room was getting darker.

She sat up, looking around and heard an evil chuckle. Her pupils shrunk in pure panic and fear as the red-orange eyes moved off the wall towards her. She started shaking horribly and finally screamed when it smiled at her. She closed her eyes, screaming with all her might until she felt two strong hands grab hers.

She opened up her eyes and saw Silver. All the light returned in a flash, making Silver have an angelic glow to him. His red eyes shined with annoyance and Lyra felt herself biting her lip. He let go of her hands, pulled out a pokeball, and Lyra watched as a Gengar was summoned back. He turned around and glared at Lyra.

She had done something wrong.

She flinched as he walked back over to her and grabbed her hands. He helped her up and forced her to sit down on the bed. She felt her eye twitched and curled her hands while he just glared at her.

"I had my Gengar watching over you in case you decided to do something stupid which, I'm guessing you did do something stupid," He spat out. Lyra glanced over at his desk then back to the floor. She felt guilty of being nosey. She went to speak up when a ringing noise interrupted her.

"He's here now. Thank God, I was tired of babysitting her," Silver mumbled out as he walked out of his room. Lyra strained her ears and heard another voice mumbling voice. Seconds later, Silver reappeared with Ethan. Ethan walked over and sat next to Lyra, smiling the whole time.

"I'm happy to see you're okay. Silver called me saying he found out in the woods sleeping! Why would you be sleeping out there?" Ethan asked as Lyra uncurled her hands. She looked over at Silver and felt his annoyance intensifying and stood up. She walked out his bedroom, down the hallway and found herself in the kitchen with a Sneasel. It looked at her and then back at the food in front of it. It picked up a piece and offered it to Lyra, who just twitched.

Ethan patted Lyra on the back and left saying he'd see her outside. Lyra went to follow him but was stop by Silver, who was still annoyed.

"You will tell me why you were at the waterfall. I don't care if it's today or in ten years, you will tell me eventually," Silver spat out as he pushed her lightly towards the door. Lyra went to talk but heard the screen door shut loudly, telling her he was done. She sighed and looked over at Ethan.

Ethan was smiling and started asking her about sleeping in the woods. Lyra just frowned and kept walking forward. Ethan frowned and watched her walk ahead of him. Something happened and she wasn't telling him.

Ethan shook his head and ran to catch up to her. He'd ask her about it later. On their way home, Lyra thought about last night and Silver's singing. It actually shocked her how great of a singer he was. He was so mean and always seemed to be seething about life, that hearing his voice so calm and full of such harmony, scared Lyra.

What exactly happened to Silver to make him act like that? Lyra tensed up and held her breath. Maybe he is just a natural at being a devil with the voice box of an angel. Lyra looked over at Ethan, feeling bad because she hadn't really been listening to him talking.

"Hey, Ethan…. Why is Silver… So mean?" Lyra asked as she curled her hands. Ethan looked at her, laughed, and pulled out his wallet. He pulled out a small picture and showed it to her. It was him and Silver as little kids – only they didn't seem to be friends at all.

The picture also looked like it was taken in a rush or by accident because there was finger blocking the one corner and it was a bit blurry. Lyra looked closer and notice Ethan and Silver were fighting. She gasped as Ethan laughed again and took the picture back.

"He's always been a grump and will continue too," Ethan said as he put his wallet away. Lyra looked forward and sighed.

"T-There has to… be a way to m-make him… happy," said under her breath. Ethan looked over at her, indicating he heard her mumbling.

"Trust me, I've known Silver since we were babies, it may not seem like he's happy but he is. He just has a hard to showing it. Too bad you weren't around when he lived here years ago, he was pretty cool," Ethan said as they made it to his house. He held the door open for Lyra and smiled at her while she walked in. When inside, they sat down in the living room with.

Lyra thought hard on what Ethan said. She moved here when she was six and met Ethan the same day they just moved in. Ethan was six too and from what he told her, Silver was a year older making him seven at the time.

"Hey Ethan…" Lyra said as she started to shake. Ethan raised an eyebrow and waited for to finish.

"Why exactly did Silver move?" Lyra asked as she saw Ethan's face cringe then fall into concentration. Ethan scratched his head and sighed loudly.

"I honestly don't remember, I think something happened in the family because Silver didn't tell me much why they were moving at the time. I'll have to ask him when I see him next time!" Ethan said happily. Lyra shook her head in agreement then looked over out the window at the forest.

Would Silver be there again tonight?

* * *

_**A/ N- Hope you enjoyed Chapter 3! Stay tuned for more! Reviews would be greatly appreciated! : P**_


	4. Visiting Hours

**The Marked Feraligatr**

**Rated M: for Violence, Death, Self-Injury, Etc.**

_**A/N - I have to say, Life for me in general has gotten MUCH MUCH Better! I've started writing again and if you haven't noticed, I have two new stories up. One is called "Red as Roses" and the other is called "Ending of a King'd Reign (WARNING! This one is a yaoi!). If you want, go and read both! Anyways, to the main point of this Authors note, I was reading through the chapters and noticed that I didn't like how short they are! Oh it makes me feel like a failure to writing because I noticed spots where I could add more or elaborate some more. SO I've made the decision to go back and REWRITE/ADD stuff to the chapters. I would love some feedback on that though… ARE they too short? You tell me though, I feel like they are. **_

_**Oh and my great grandmother is fine and I have been better for a while. I'm happy I've gained the will to write because it's a great way for me to get rid of my stress.**_

_**Also, I don't own Pokémon, I'm a fan of it!**_

_**Chapter 4 – Visiting Hours**_

* * *

Lyra clenched her eyes together, grinded her teeth and hissed in pain as Ethan cleaned her self-inflected wounds on her hands. It stung and Lyra didn't like what Ethan was using to clean the wounds on her hand. It was a mix of a few different liquids and one of the ingredients was alcohol. It made her feel as if she'd end up like her mom if she were to use it but Ethan had reassured her it wouldn't make her pick up any horrible habits. Still, she wasn't happy with using the mixture.

Ethan gently rubbed a cloth over her hands, trying his best to clean out all the dirt and grime that had settled into her wounded hands. He greatly disliked the fact she dug her nails so hard into her palms. It obviously wasn't healthy for her and made his heart sink every time he saw her hands like that – it felt to him that he was failing her.

He was the only person in the world right now that cared for her and yet he couldn't even stop her from harming herself. Sighing, Ethan looked up at Lyra's face feeling a bit guilty. She was wincing because of the cleanser's strong reactions against the bacteria in her wounds.

"Hey, the pain will go away Lyra. We need to keep it clean though… It could get infected," Ethan mumbled out, not sure if she'd even care to listen to him. He knew she wasn't elated with what he was cleaning with and in fact, hated it when he cleaned them.

Lyra looked out the window, biting her lip because of the pain shooting up her arm. She loathed the current situation. She didn't need Ethan all the time – she could clean herself up real good without needing such painful chemicals.

But there's no way she would tell him that. While she did hate him cleaning her hands almost three times a day, he was the only person there for her – and she didn't even want to think about a life without him.

"Lyra, are you there?" Ethan whispered, as he held both of Lyra's hands. Lyra felt her eye twitch and harshly removed her hands from his. Sighing, Ethan stood up and glanced out the window.

"So… what have you been looking at Lyra?"

"O-oh uh… nothing m-much really…"

"Hmm. Is that so…" Ethan mumbled out with a sigh. He ran his fingers through his hair, and turned walking to the kitchen. It was around five O'clock now and he knew Lyra would be hungry. Ethan shuffled through the kitchen grabbing his apron and his knife set.

Lyra watched him wander around the kitchen getting ready to make dinner for his family. Lyra felt her head hang low and winced once more as her hands supported her head. She felt tears prickle at the corner of her eyes.

She had lied to Ethan.

She said she wasn't looking at anything but in all honesty; she had been staring at the forest. The forest was a place where she could relax and forget about all her worries and actually feel normal. Now, she wasn't sure what to think about the forest because Silver was there before – and he seemed to be familiar with the place too.

Sighing, she glanced back out the window and held her hands together in her lap. Silver was weird. He sat there at lunch acting really tough and almost as if nothing could hurt him yet … his voice was amazing. For that small moment she heard him singing, her ears were in heaven. She wouldn't mind hearing him sing again.

"Ah, Lyra! Hiya!" mumbled a soft voice. Lyra jumped in her chair and quickly turned her head to see that it was only Maggie. Maggie was Ethan's only other sibling and he loved her dearly. Lyra remembered one time, a few years ago, another little boy was picking on Maggie and Ethan made sure to protect her.

He ended up punching the kid in the face.

Of course, it wasn't the best way to go about it but Ethan, at the time, couldn't logically think of another way to handle the situation. Lyra knew this because after he was scolded and forced to apologize, he told her.

"_I didn't know what to do Lyra! He was sitting there acting all tough like I was a monkey and he was a cow! I sure showed him though!" Ethan shouted enthusiastically as if he had shown up a great evil. Lyra giggled and smiled at Ethan._

"_You're so tough Ethan! I want be tough like you too so I can knock out bullies!" Lyra shouted happily. Ethan just frowned and then pouted._

"_You don't wanna be tough, you'll look manly then. If you need protected, I'll protect you. You don't wanna get all big and ugly do you?" Ethan mumbled out with his pout getting stronger. Lyra gasped slightly then smiled._

"_I guess so… I don't wanna be all big and ugly…" Lyra said frowning. Ethan grabbed her hand and sighed. _

"_If anything Lyra, I'll always be there!" Ethan shouted happily._

Lyra felt herself smile inside but couldn't bring herself to actually smile – it didn't feel right to her. Maggie poked Lyra's nose and giggled.

"What are you doing?" Maggie asked with a giggle. Lyra felt her eye twitched and just shrugged.

"Nothing M-Much M-Maggie, what about y-you?"

"Talking to you!"

"Oh, I see… S-So how was your d-day at school Maggie?"

"Not bad! I got an 'A' on my math test! I thought fractions were supposed to be hard," Maggie spat out, pouting at her last remark. Lyra just stared at her and sighed.

She wished she was as smart as Maggie.

Maggie was only ten years old but much smarter than anyone else her age. She was put into all the advance classes and was told she could be anything her heart desired. Of course, this meant nothing to Maggie at the moment because she was too young to care. She only cared about drawing, her friends and her family.

Maggie rambled on for a bit longer until Lyra pointed out that Ethan was in the kitchen.

"Oh! He's home and cooking? He didn't even tell me! Lyra! What am I gonna do now… I was gonna surprise him with my picture I made in art class today. I hope he didn't notice it on the refridgerator…" Maggie cried out, getting ready to cry.

Nervous and unsure of what to say, Lyra patted Maggie's back and reassured her he didn't see it.

"I-I have been watching h-him this wh-hole time Maggie. I don't think he has seen it – he's i-i-is too focused on c-cooking," Lyra said, fidgeting around in her seat. Maggie stopped her tears and thought hard for a few seconds then jumped alive.

"I'll surprise him from behind and get him out of the kitchen and then you can grab the picture, alright?" Maggie said smiling at Lyra. Lyra's eye twitched and Maggie sighed.

"Okay, fine. I'll go in distract him at first then you can get his attention. At the point in time, I'll grab the picture and then I can surprise him with it! Alright Lyra?"

This time, Lyra shook her head in agreement and Maggie jumped up and down in excitement.

"Okay, here I go…" Maggie said, quietly walking into the Kitchen. Lyra sat there and looked out the window once more. She wondered if Ethan knew about the pond and if so, would he and Silver both go there to hang out?

If so, she might lose the only place she truly could call her own.

She glanced back over at Maggie and watched her start to set her plan in motion.

Ethan, being oblivious to the whole situation, kept on cooking. Maggie turned back and glanced at Lyra, mouthing for her to get ready to strike. While watching Maggie carefully think her plan over as she slowly snuck in the kitchen, Lyra marveled at Ethan's cooking techniques. He simply was amazing in her eyes.

Not many people knew but Ethan was a marvelous cook. Since he wasn't popular in school, rarely anyone asked to hang out with him and if they did, it was only so they could convince Ethan to do their homework – which never worked in the first place. Also, since he was the only person to talk to Lyra, who was deemed insane, he was also seen as insane.

Putting his apron on, he laid out all the necessary ingredients to make homemade spaghetti. He started to make his flour when he heard someone joined him in the kitchen. He glanced over his shoulders to see a flash of raven-black hair flutter in the wind. Grinning, he swiveled on his heels and hugged the person.

"Brother! What's for dinner?" The young raven-haired girl shouted enthusiastically. Ethan gently rustled her hair, and smiled at her. Her raven-black hair looked just like his yet, had a more elegant look to it. Her vivid green eyes, her coy smile and her cute freckles made her look simply gorgeous. Often times, her smile was complimented and was rumored to shine brighter than any jewel on earth.

"I'm making Spaghetti for dinner, Maggie," Ethan cooed out as she jumped up and down, elated at his announcement. Ethan knew Spaghetti was his little sister's favorite meal and whenever he could, he'd make it for dinner – just for her.

"E-Ethan… I-I'm gonna g-go home, if that is al-lright with you…" a quiet voice spat out. Ethan and Maggie both turned around to see Lyra standing in the entrance to the kitchen. Maggie smiled at Lyra as Ethan put his knife down and looked over at Lyra.

"W-What!? You can't go home just yet. You should stay here and eat dinner! I worry about your health and this would make me feel better about it okay? Just please stay," Ethan spat out in a worried tone. Lyra glanced over at Maggie who was in front of the fridge. She only needed a few more seconds so Lyra frowned.

"It is just that…"

"What is it Lyra? Tell me, I don't like seeing you so upset," Ethan whispered, walking up to Lyra and frowning. Lyra's eye twitched and she felt tears prickle at the corner of her eyes.

"I feel tired. I D-Don't wanna inconvenience you and s-sleep on your couch… Th-that's rude of a guest to do..." Lyra said, trailing her gaze to Maggie. Maggie showed Lyra the picture and signaled for Lyra to stop the whole thing.

"Don't say such things Lyra! You're always welcomed to treat my home as your home. Go ahead and sleep on the couch, I'll wake you up when dinner is done, I promise!"

"N-No it's fine… I kinda wanna… w-watch you cook d-dinner. It looks f-fun…" Lyra said, speaking the truth. Maggie titled her head and shrugged. She had achieved her goal so what was Lyra doing? Not really caring, Maggie walked out of the room and left Ethan and Lyra to talk to each other.

Lyra looked at Ethan's face and saw his face become a slight pink.

"A-Are you alright Ethan?" She mumbled out. Ethan covered his mouth with his hand and looked at Lyra.

"Y-Yeah I'm fine. You wanna learn how to cook though?

"N-Nah, I'm such a k-klutz, I'd mess the whole thing up."

"Don't say that Lyra, I bet you would be an excellent cook. Here, put this on and you can help me cook dinner," Ethan chimed out as he handed her an apron. Feeling awkward, Lyra plucked the apron from his hand and started to put it on when he walked up behind her.

"Here, I'll tie it in the back for you," Ethan said with a soft smile. He tied it tightly and Lyra felt nervous. She had never really cooked before because her mom didn't allow it – what if her mom found out she was cooking.

She surly wouldn't be happy.

"Ethan. What if my m-mom finds o-ou-"

"Don't worry, I'll take the blame for it if she says something. I am the one who offered and you accepted no to be rude. That's what I'll say," Ethan spat out. Lyra quickly shook her head and bolted towards the stove, eager to cook.

"Alright, so what we need to do is now cut these tomatoes and make the sauce for the spaghetti…"

"O-Oh okay…" Lyra said quickly as she picked up the knife closest to her. Ethan continued to tell her what to do while she just kept looking at the knife. It was a standard cutting knife that many people used to prepare food – yet to her it meant something else.

It looked similar to one she had seen before.

Feeling her hands start to shake, she bit her lip and started to panic.

"L-Lyra! What are you doing!?"

"_Huh…?"_

Looking down at her wrists, she noticed she subconsciously cut her left wrist by accident. Seeing the blood seep out of the fresh wound in her skin made her go into a full-blown panic attack. The knife made a subtle noise as it clattered against the counter.

Ethan bolted out of the kitchen and grabbed his first aid kit he had used earlier to clean her hands. Lyra felt her whole body shake as she focused on the cut.

Why did she cut herself?

"Y-You need to be more careful Lyra!" Ethan shouted angrily as he dashed to her side, and examined the cut intently. Lyra noticed that his angry voice didn't match his face. His face was overthrown with sadness and worry.

She of course had caused this.

He cleaned the cut and listened to Lyra hiss. He glanced up at her and sighed loudly. She needed to be more careful! She had cut herself with the knife within seconds of her just picking it up. She really didn't lie when she said she was a klutz.

"You're lucky Lyra. It isn't deep and the bleeding has stopped already. Phew, I'm so relieved," Ethan said as he put a bandage over her left wrist. Lyra lifted her wrist and looked at the bandage. One the bandage was a small cute Pikachu with a cherry.

"Hah… that's cute…" Lyra said in a monotone voice. Ethan grabbed her wrist gently, and looked at the small design. He started to chuckle then burst out laughing.

"You're too cute Lyra."

"…_. Eh?!"_ Lyra thought as Her face displayed panic. Ethan sighed and patted her on the back.

"Well now, let's finish cooking. I'll do all the cutting; I don't want you hurting yourself again. That was scary Lyra," Ethan lectured her, making sure to use her wrist as an example. She furiously shook her head 'yes' and started working on another task that didn't need a knife.

"Hey. I just want to say this Lyra but you seem to be a bit more relaxed today. I don't know what it is but…" Ethan said, trailing off at the end as if he was thinking out loud. Lyra's eye twitched and she shrugged the matter off.

She was weird and insane. He was probably being nice

After much time, Ethan and Lyra finally finished cooking.

"_W-Wow… c-cooking is a lot o-of fun… I wanna c-cook some more," _Lyra thought as she helped set the dinner table up. While setting the table, the front door opened up.

"Ethan and Maggie I'm home!" shouted a female voice. Lyra jumped at the voice while Ethan and Maggie greeted the lady home.

Lyra looked over at the door and noticed it was their mom, Yuki. She had really long black hair and blue-gray eyes. She had a few freckles across her face and glasses on too. She wore a light brown vest over a white turtle neck, a pair of blue jeans and a pair of sneakers.

"Hey mom, Lyra is going to be joining us tonight. Is that okay?"

"Ah certainly; I don't mind if she does, but is it okay with her mom?"

"Yeah, s-she doesn't m-mind. T-Thanks again for having me over…"

"No problem Lyra. You're always welcome here!" Ethan's mom said, smiling at Lyra. Lyra turned back and started to fix the table once more. Maggie sat down in her chair and looked up at Lyra. She started to drum her fingers off the table until she sighed and glanced at Lyra.

"Lyra, you should come over more. It's more fun when you're around. Ethan never wants to talk to me or color with me! He's such a bully!" Maggie spat out with a frown. Lyra looked at him and sighed. Ethan wasn't like that at all, what did she mean by that?

"Ah, don't listen to her. She's just being a brat at the moment!" Ethan said as he walked out with the spaghetti. Maggie stuck her tongue out at Ethan then smiled at Lyra. Ethan rolled his eyes, sat the bowl down and walked back into he kitchen

"_Oh, so she was joking…" _Lyra thought, feeling relieved. She quickly finished setting up the table when Ethan's mom walked out and patted her on the back. Lyra jumped at the sudden contact.

"Ah, I'm so sorry Lyra. I didn't mean to scare you but you did an amazing job at setting the table! I've never seen it so neat. Hey Ethan! You should learn to set the table like Lyra –it's much neater!" Ethan's mom shouted out playfully.

"H-Hey…" Ethan said, his eyes falling to meet the floor. Ethan's mom and his sister both laughed while Lyra took the seat next to where Ethan usually sat. Ethan plopped down next to Lyra while his mom sat across from Maggie.

"So Lyra, how have you been lately?" Ethan's mom asked after she finished chewing. Lyra put her fork down and looked over at her.

"I've been okay…"

"Oh? I see… Did you meet Silver yet? He is one of Ethan's childhood friends," She said as she directed her attention to me. Maggie, slurping her spaghetti up, glanced over at Lyra, and smiled.

"Do you think he's cute?! I think Silver is very cute!" Maggie blurted out, blushing madly the whole time. Ethan and Lyra both gasped while Ethan's mom just laughed. Maggie looked around the whole table, blushing with a frown on her lips.

"W-Well he is! I Bet Lyra thinks he's cute too!"

"N-No, I don't actually…" Lyra said softly. Ethan perked up at glanced over at Lyra, smiling. Lyra just looked at him and bit her lip. Maybe she said something wrong – then again, everything she says is usually wrong…

"Uhm…"

"Well, we won't pry anymore Lyra. It's just nice to see you're doing better."

"O-oh?"

"Yeah, you seem to a bit more outgoing today than usual. This is great Lyra. It means you're getting better," Ethan's mom cooed out. Maggie shook her head furiously up and down while Ethan seemed to ignore the whole conversation. Lyra curled her hands and bit her lip even more.

Was she really getting better?

After dinner, Ethan and Lyra both entered the study next to the kitchen to work on some homework together. They did their math, English and science homework until it hit nine o'clock.

"Hey Lyra, it's getting late. How about I drop you off at home?" Ethan said, as he shut his science book and placed it off to the side. Lyra hastily packed her books into her bag and stood up.

"I-I'm sorry for staying so late E-Ethan."

"It's not a problem Lyra. You're always welcome here," Ethan said as he smiled at her. Lyra bit her lip, and marched out of the study. She said her goodbyes to Maggie and his mom.

"You two be safe! It's dark out so make sure you take your Marill with you Ethan; in case you run into any wild Pokémon…" Ethan's mom said as she washed dishes. Ethan called his Marill to his side and they all walked out.

On the way back to Lyra's house, they didn't say a word to each other. Lyra felt nervous and started to panic. Did she do something wrong?

"You're pathetic. Taking up all his time I mean, he basically baby sits you. The extent of his pity is sickening. You should just ditch him. He's disgusting," The voice shouted out. Lyra grimaced and held her head.

It had been quiet all this time! Why couldn't it just go away?!

Lyra leaned against a nearby tree, holding her head and groaning. She simply couldn't take the pain the voice caused her. Whenever it seemed to start to talk or even make its presence know, it'd cause her immense pain and there wasn't a thing she could do to stop the pain.

"Lyra, what's w-"

"The v-voice…"

"O-Oh, I see. Here, I'll help you walk," Ethan said as he threw her one arm over his shoulders. He helped her walk to her house while the voice tormented her with the same topic.

"Come on, he's playing you. He doesn't care about you at all. You're a dumbass; listening to him is a mistake…" The voice chanted out. Lyra started grinding her teeth, as the pain was intensifying each time the voice spoke.

"… We're here," Ethan whispered. Lyra looked up seeing her house. She felt a bit relieved as the voice seemed to disappear… for now at least. She glanced over at Ethan.

"T-Thanks for taking m-me home E-Ethan," She said as she took her house key out of her bag. Ethan smiled and waved goodbye as he and his Marill made their way back to his house. She entered her house, locked the door behind her and sighed.

"T-Today was f-fun…" Lyra said to herself as she made her way upstairs. When she entered her room, she dropped her bag on her desk, changed into her Pajamas and jumped into her bed. She curled up under her covers and sighed once more.

"I hope E-Ethan will t-teach me more ab-about cooking…" Lyra thought as she stared at her ceiling. She actually enjoyed cooking and to realize she actually could do something like that … gave her a small confidence boost.

She also enjoyed visiting and talking to his family – it made her feel sane and as if she was normal. She turned to lay on her side. She really did enjoy her time with Ethan today and his family even though she ended up hurting herself by accident.

She bit her lip and sighed again.

She really didn't mean to hurt herself that time – She didn't even know what came over her to do that. Rolling back to her other side, Lyra shrugged it off.

"I-I've never really have cooked b-before so… Maybe I-I'm just inexperienced i-in handling k-knives…" Lyra thought as she finally started to get comfortable. She finally started to relax and feel herself slip away into a deep sleep.

Before she finally passed out, she thought back on what Ethan had said.

_"You're too cute Lyra"_

Feeling her insides flutter, Lyra ignored all of her feelings and thoughts – he didn't mean it in a romantic way. He meant it to be nice.

She knew that much at least.

* * *

End of Chapter 4

A/N – Sorry for not posting for so long! Hope this makes up for it! Hope you enjoy and PLEASE drop a review; I wanna know if I should go back and rewrite the chapters… I probably will anyway I just want more opinions xD;

Love, Twisted List


	5. Field Day

**The Marked Feraligatr**

**Rated: M for Violence, Death, Self-injury Etc.**

_**A/N- I'm sorry for the delay on updating! Anyways, Hope you enjoy (I made sure to pour all my creativity I possibly could into this chapter!) **_

_**Chapter 5 – Field Day**_

* * *

"_Lyra!" shouted Lyra's mom as she bolted down into Lyra's hospital room. The nurses tried to calm her down, only to be pushed out of her way and tossed to the floor. Security was called and they stopped her._

"_No! Let go of me! My baby is in there!" She screamed, punching and fighting the security guards off of her. They held a firm grip on her and started to drag her away until she kneed the one security guard, causing him to fall. She stumbled a bit and when she regained her balance, she bolted once more down the hall, and into the closest room._

_Panting, she slid down against the door. Once she calmed herself down, she glanced around, trying to figure out where she was. She stood up and moved around carefully not wanting to break anything. She noticed another door labeled "Current Cases" and felt curiosity strike her. _

_She opened the door slowly, and peaked in seeing the coast was clear. She crept on in; closing the door behind her to make it seem like no one was here. She reached around the room for a light switch and when she found one, clicked it on only to be shocked._

_The room was littered with stray papers and folders scattered. What struck her the most was that one of the folders was torn into tiny pieces and thrown into the bin. She reached down, touching the shreds until she noticed a lock of red hair. She jumped back, holding her chest in utter shock. She was sure no one else was in here._

"_H-Hello?!"_

"…_Who are you?" Asked the other. She sighed in relief once hearing the voice – it was only a little kid. She bent down, extending her hand out. The red-head climbed out from his hiding spot, giving Lyra's mom an evil glare. He grabbed her hand and she was able to get a better look at him._

_He had red eyes that matched his red hair. He wore a small bluish-black tee, and a pair of blue jeans. From his height, he seemed to be around the age of thirteen or so. He frowned as she helped stand him up. She noticed he was holding a sheet of paper._

"_Hey there buddy, did you do all of this?" She asked, obviously already knowing the answer. He sighed and glared back up at her, showing pure hatred with his eyes. He stomped on her foot and booked it from the room. She yelped and threw her hands up, then grabbed her foot._

"_You brat! Get back here!" She shouted, chasing after the boy. He turned his head, sticking his tongue out with a cocky smirk plastered all over his face. She felt her eye twitch then chased after him, finally catching him. She snatched him by the hand hearing him gasp in surprise._

"_Gotcha! Now tell me what you were doing there!" she asked, forcing the kid to sit down in a nearby chair. He huffed and glared at her once more._

"_It's a secret mission! I cannot disclose anything to you!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. She cringed at the loud reply and looked over at him, pissed by his rudeness. He returned the look by sticking his tongue out then turning his head away from her. She sighed loudly._

_There was just no way she could win with this kid._

_She leaned her head on her one head and with her other hand grabbed the boys ear. He cringed and cried out, grabbing onto her hand, trying his best to free himself from her grip. She released him, stood up and plucked the paper from his hand._

"_Give that back! That's mine!"_

"_No! You sit there and be good. I'm going to return this to its rightful ow-" was all she got out before the name on the paper caught her eye. It was a name of a man she knew before – and a man she wished she never met._

_She scanned the sheet, cursing silently at the boy. He had scribbled black marker all over the words, only missing a few. She had no idea why the man would be here. He had nothing left here ever since the boating accident a few years ago._

_But wasn't that man supposed to be dead? If she remembered correctly, he had died in that boating accident, leaving behind his young son and wife. She glanced down at the boy, feeling anxiety fill her chest. She crumpled the paper and pushed it into her pocket._

_Grabbing the boy's hand, she walked him down the hall, ignoring all his complaints. When she reached Lyra's room, she handed the boy off to the nearby nurse saying he got lost and she found him in a random room messing with all the files and such._

_The boy gave her a deadly glare as he was scolded by the nurse. She gave him a coy smile, turned and walked into the room where Lyra was. She had been bracing herself ever since she got the call from Officer Jenny – but seeing it was too much._

_Lyra's hair was covered in muck, some of it was actually missing and it wasn't held in two pig tails. It flowed ungracefully all around her, giving her a dreadful look. She had gauze trapped to her neck – and it had a pink tinge to it. Her emerald eyes lacked their usual happy-go-lucky glow as it was replaced with dullness and a lack of life. What made her cringe the most was Lyra's facial expression. _

_She didn't bare her usual smile – a smile that was said to last forever._

_Her lips were adorned with nothing but a slight tremble. Her hands trembled as well, making it seem as if she was freezing cold. Lyra's mom shuffled up, slowly and gently placing her hand on her cold, dirty face._

_Lyra didn't respond at all._

_Lyra's mom bit her lip and started petting Lyra's hair. Feeling how dirty her hair was, she reached into her purse, pulling out a small brush. She ran the brush through Lyra's hair, humming a lullaby that she learned from some lady in Pallet town. _

_She felt herself fill up with guilt – they should have never moved here. They should have stayed in Pallet town – a job promotion wasn't worth any of this._

Feeling herself jolt awake, The lady looked around dazed with a slight hangover. She noticed it was six in the morning and sighed angrily. It was the weekend – Lyra would be home all day. How frustrating. She ambled over to her dressing, staggering due to her slight hangover. She dressed in her usual outfit and made her way downstairs.

"H-Hi M-Mom," chimed Lyra, trying her best to sound cheery. Lyra's mom rolled her eyes as she scoffed at Lyra. Lyra frowned, and turned back facing the Television. She couldn't understand why Lyra was always up so early. She didn't have to get up for school or anything, so why? She would never understand Lyra.

She shuffled over to the kitchen, grimacing at the sound the pans made when she grabbed them. She slammed a pan down onto the oven, and shuffled over to the fridge grabbing a few eggs. She cooked scrambled eggs, making sure only to make enough for Lyra. She placed a plate full of scrambled eggs on the nearby counter.

"Breakfast."

"T-Thanks," Lyra said as she hurriedly grabbed her plate, ate then focused back on the Television. Lyra's mom clicked her tongue off the roof of her mouth.

"You're not watching T.V all day. It's bad for your health Lyra."

"O-Okay M-Mom. I T-Think Ethan and I a-are going to the park today w-with Silver. I'll be good t-too. I promise you," Lyra said, trying her best to not stutter. Lyra's mom huffed, and went to pat Lyra on the head – but felt herself stop. She couldn't touch Lyra.

She might trigger an episode. She looked over at Lyra, and sighed.

"Better hold yourself to your promise – I don't wanna have to tell the doctors to raise your medicine dosage." She spat out. Lyra flinched and shook her head furiously, promising to stick to her promise. Lyra ran upstairs to get ready, leaving Lyra's mom with herself.

She felt her eyes water up. She couldn't act like a true mother when Lyra was around – she felt like everything she would do was wrong. Right after the whole incident, she couldn't do anything right – but Ethan could. She felt a sort of jealously towards Ethan – her and Lyra had a deeper relationship, yet everything she did was wrong.

Over all the years, she tried her best to make Lyra smile – but nothing worked. And this didn't help her overall feeling. Lyra's mom felt heartbroken and powerless. Ever since the beginning she tried her best to bring a smile onto Lyra's face, to help her forget all of the traumatic things – yet nothing worked. But when Ethan did it, Lyra responded to it positively – and she loathed Ethan for it. She was supposed to be the one helping Lyra get better, not him.

She couldn't stand seeing the boy around because it made her feel ever more worthless. Also, it was the reason she started drinking. Feeling so worthless and unable to help, she took her sadness away by drinking – yet that only brought a temporary fix to a permanent problem. She knew no matter how hard she tried she could never be Lyra's number one.

Only Ethan could be her number one. She started avoiding Lyra – only to make sure Ethan could handle her. It wasn't her place anymore and she knew that, yet a part of her refused to accept it. She was her mother! The person who was supposed to protect Lyra.

She didn't loathe Lyra – she actually cared a lot for her daughter. She would do what Ethan couldn't do. Make her breakfast, wash her clothing, clean her room and provide her with a home – a clean one at least. She felt like trying to show her daughter multiple times how much she loved her – but each time was shattered by her rash thinking.

She'd go to congratulate Lyra for a job well done, only to shrug it off. She couldn't help her rash actions and thoughts – it was all because of Ethan.

Her thoughts were broken by Lyra running down the stairs. She glanced over at Lyra then at the clock. It was seven in the morning.

"Why so early?"

"We pl-lan on staying a-all day M-Mom."

"Hmm. Alright," She said lazily, waving Lyra off. Lyra said bye, and marched out the door. Lyra's mom scowled at the door as it shut. She was going off with Ethan. How irritating.

_**(POV Change: Lyra) **_

"_Hey Lyra!" Ethan chimed out, slinging an arm around her shoulders. She froze up and trembled as he hung off on her. He backed off, apologizing. He gave her a warm smile, only to receive a blank face. Ethan sighed and looked off into the distance. They were currently on a hill by the school that gave a great view of Cherrygrove. Silver was behind them busy training his pokemon. Silver had forced the both of them to come with him because he wanted sparing partners._

_Lyra felt herself gulp. She hadn't battle in forever and really didn't want to. She had her pokemon on her yes, but she wasn't going to use them. Silver beckoned Ethan over, shouting for him to get ready for a hard battle. Ethan waved Silver off as he walked over, claiming he would be the victor._

_Lyra watched the battle only to grimace at the end. Silver had won – and he didn't even break a sweat. He had a warrior look to him and it kind of scared Lyra. He seemed like a war machine getting ready to end anyone's life that dared cross him. Ethan chuckled and scratched the back of his head._

"_Well, looks like I need to train some more…"_

"_More like have a training marathon for two weeks straight – you suck ass," Silver spat out, highly irritated by Ethan's lack of skill. Lyra grimaced at the harsh comment while Ethan's face fell flat. Silver pointed at Lyra and glared._

"_Your turn. Get over here." Silver spat out, pointing harshly where she should stand. She shook her head no, panicking over what his reaction would be. She didn't battle – she couldn't battle actually. She didn't have the motivation anymore and frankly, pokemon kind of scared her. After seeing what her Feraligatr could do, she didn't want to see anymore._

_Silver huffed, stormed over to Lyra and snatched her hand, staring her straight in the eyes. She squirmed under his glare and lowered her gaze. He huffed and let go of her hand, storming off down the hill._

"_You're pathetic," He shouted. Ethan's face turned with anger as he stormed after Silver demanding he apologize. Lyra frowned and looked down at the ground. He was right. She was pathetic. Silver instantly came back up the hill and darted straight towards Lyra. He pointed at her and screamed:_

"_Tommorow, all three of us are going to the park. If you're not there I'll kick your ass – and yes, I know you're a girl and that won't stop me. Understood? Oh, and bring your pokemon," He spat out, making sure to point out he would carry out his threat. Her eyes wide, she agreed to meet them at the park tomorrow._

"_Great. Meet you at Ethan's tomorrow by eight O'clock – and Don't be late._

Lyra sighed as she shuffled on down the path that leads to Ethan's house. She really didn't want to go to the park – so many other people would be there and most of them would probably give her nasty glares and say such rude things. She sighed as she looked at the watch on her hand. It would be eight O'clock in a few minutes and she could see Ethan's house.

She marched up to his house, walking up to the door and rang the doorbell. Maggie answered the door and jumped up and down excided. She grabbed onto Lyra's hand, pulling her in the house and announcing her arrival.

"Oh hello Lyra! How are you today on this fine morning?" said Ethan's mom. She placed her hand on Lyra's back and gave her a comforting smile. Lyra bit her lip and shook her head before replying.

"I-I'm fine, thank you."

"That's good! I just finished making breakfast, do you want some?" Ethan's mom asked, pushing her lightly towards the kitchen. Lyra, not wanting to be rude, said 'yes' and was currently sitting at the family's dining table with Maggie.

"Hey Lyra! You and I are gonna swing and run around, and chase butterflies, and-"

"Hush now Maggie. You're gonna overflow her mind then she won't be able to do all that stuff with you," Ethan's mom said playfully. Maggie pouted, crossing her arms. Lyra curled her hands in, digging into her skin. She knew Ethan loathed when she did this, but it calmed her down.

"Well here you go! Some bacon, pancakes, and eggs! I hope you like them Lyra!" Ethan's mom said, having a warm smile radiate from her face. Lyra said thanks, and ate ever so slowly trying not to seem like a pig. She glanced on over to Maggie and felt herself fill up with shock. Maggie was eating as if this were her first meal in ages.

"Oh hey Lyra, didn't know you were here yet," called a familiar voice. Lyra turned and saw Ethan and behind him, a pissed off Silver. She finished the last bit of her meal and stood up. Silver glared at her and she froze up.

He was in a horrible mood today. Ethan elbowed Silver, only to receive a nasty grumble. Maggie stood up, ran over to Silver and clung onto him.

"Silvy, what's wrong?" She cried out, hugging onto Silver as if her were a life boat. His eye twitched and he started to pry her off. Ethan and his mom laughed while Lyra just stood there, watching. She wish she could be more outgoing, but she knew she couldn't be outgoing. It wasn't in her.

"Alright you two lovers, calm yourselves. I have packed you all lunches so you can have a nice picnic!" Ethan's mom said, handing the basket to Ethan. Ethan patted the basket and reassured his mom that they'd be fine and thanked her for the meal.

They all started walking from the house, and Ethan's mom shouted her goodbyes and telling them to have a great time. Maggie grabbed onto Silver's hand many times, only to have him glare at her and her hand smacked away. Ethan mused and joked about the two while Lyra just walked, immersed in her own thoughts.

Once they reached the park, Lyra felt herself panic a bit. The amount of people there really made her feel uneasy. She curled her hands into a fist once more, digging into the palms of her hands. Ethan noticed this, and grabbed her hands gently.

"Now stop that Lyra. Look what you're doing to your hands…" he mumbled, flipping her hands over so she could see the damage she caused. She bit her lip and pulled her hands away from Ethan and walked on ahead of them. Maggie chased after Lyra, screaming about playing tag.

"You sure are hopeless Ethan, can't go a minute without making her feeling uncomfortable," Silver said, mocking Ethan. Ethan rolled his eyes and punched Silver in the arm.

"Shut up man. Let's just go battle some random people. I need the practice anyways," Ethan spat out, walking ahead of Silver. Silver just huffed and marched on after Ethan.

Lyra was sitting on a swing listening to Maggie go on about how Silver was so cute and how he was her prince charming. Lyra felt a very small smile tug at her lips. Maggie was an absolute doll. She was so sweet and open-minded. She once told Lyra she saw her as a big sister – and that made her feel like she was on cloud nine.

She never had someone tell her that they looked up to her as a role model and it made her feel somewhat normal. She listened for a few more minutes until Maggie asked to be pushed. Lyra shook her head and said 'sure'. She stood up and started pushing Maggie, watching in awe at how high she was going.

She kept pushing Maggie until an even more annoyed Silver marched on over.

"You two, we're eating lunch! Follow me now," He shouted. Lyra helped Maggie off the swing and watched as she ran to Silver's side, demanding a piggy back ride. He glared at her and pushed her away gently (God knows what Ethan would do if he pushed her down to the ground).

"Ethan! Don't be a meany, I love you!" Maggie blurted out, jumping onto Silver. Silver flailed his arms and shouted ahead at Ethan for help. Ethan, who wasn't that far up ahead, busted up laughing. He shouted at Maggie.

"Keep it up Maggie! Maybe you can change his cold heart into a nice warm one!"

"Shut your damn mouth Ethan!" Silver shouted angrily. Maggie dropped off of Silver and ran towards Ethan with her arms stretched out. He picked her up and spun her around, making sure to place her gently on the blanket he laid out. Silver glanced back at Lyra and sighed. Lyra looked down at the ground.

Silver never seemed to be in a good mood. He was always glaring, skulking and ignoring everyone – unless he needed them for something. Lyra sighed and walked on ahead until she finally reached the picnic. She sat down on the blanket and waited patiently for Ethan to start handing out the food – too bad Silver was on another rant.

"- and another thing, why the hell did you lose to that little girl?! She had a Pikachu and an Eevee! You're a disgrace to trainers everywhere."

Lyra cringed a bit. Silver was being really rude. She didn't battle and knew she probably sucked worse than Ethan – it wasn't fair that he was getting yelled at for slipping up. Silver glanced at Lyra, as if she had said something. Lyra gulped and threw her gaze down to the blanket. Silver huffed then turned when Ethan replied.

"Oh shut up Silver, I have been too busy to focus on training and battling!"

"Too busy caring for Lyra? She has a mother doesn't she? Stop taking her mother's place, you're just her 'best friend' don't over step your boundaries"

"…. That's not true Silver."

"Really? So am I just high or something, imagining all of your constant worry over Lyra? I swear, you'd give your own life if it meant she could be –" was all Silver got out before a large explosion cut him off. A red hue filled the air along with screams of scared and injured people. Silver and Ethan both jumped up, their eyes scanning the place. Silver plucked a pokeball from his pocket and summoned a pokemon.

It was a Feraligatr. It looked almost like Lyra, but it didn't have a scar on its jaw like hers did.

"Alright, I want you to go put out any fires you see! Ethan, get your Marill out and help takes out the fires. Maggie here, this is my Sneasel," Silver shouts over the uproar of noise. His Sneasel runs to Maggie's side, waiting for orders. Silver merely glances at his Sneasel.

"Keep her safe. Don't let anything happen to her, got it?" He states. His Sneasel shakes its head saying 'okay' and grabs Maggie's hand taking her away. Maggie shouts 'be careful' as she is taken away from the sight.

Ethan bolted towards a more forested part of the woods, shouting he'd be looking for people and putting out the fires. Silver shouted 'okay' and focused on observing what else needs to be done.

Silver turned to talk more until he drops. His Feraligatr charges forward and starts attacking something. Lyra, her eyes wide and full of fear kneels down by Silver, unsure of what happened. She glances back at his Feraligatr and sees it fighting off two people dressed in all black.

On their chests, she saw a vaguely familiar red 'R'. She gulped and stood up, backing up in fear. It's Team Rocket. Silver finally stands up, staggering a bit. He wiped his mouth off and turned to Lyra. He pointed at her, seething.

"Listen here, I really don't give a damn why you won't battle me or anyone else for fun or practice, but this is your duty. You're a pokemon trainer and these assholes are here defiling the place. You will help protect the innocent people here, Understood?!"

Lyra stood there, shaking. She was terrified. Silver waited a few seconds before sighing in irritation. He ran off ahead.

"Pathetic and worthless," He shouted before he was out of her sight. She felt her eyes water up. She just couldn't battle! There was no way she'd be able to save anyone. She was nothing but a failiure. She collapsed to the ground and plopped down onto her butt.

"Nidoking, poison jab!" Shouted a manly voice. Lyra's eyes shot up at the sight of a huge hulking Nidoking standing by her getting ready to attack her! She closed her eyes, ready for the impact until she heard a familiar cry.

She opened her eyes to see her Feraligatr standing in front of her. She jumped up, feeling her breath hitch. Her Feraligatr took the blow, staggering a tiny bit afterwards. The man chuckled as his Nidoking returned.

"And I thought you'd go down without a fight. Oh well, let's start! Nidoking use focus blast!" The man shouted. His Nidoking started charging a red-orange circular beam while Lyra's Feraligatr stood there, waiting for orders. It glanced over it's shoulder and stunned Lyra.

It had a type of anger in its eyes. Lyra gulped and hesitated for a bit. Then she cleared her throat and spoke softly.

"Feraligatr, use ice fang."

Her Feraligatr's eyes opened wide and she swore it grinned at her. Feraligatr turned and charged at the Nidoking, his teeth glistening with ice. He successfully landed the hit on the Nidoking, causing a huge amount of damage. The grunt clicked his tongue off the roof of his mouth.

"Using a weakness to your advantage. That's smart, I'll give you that. Now let me." He said, summoning back his Nidoking. He summoned another pokemon – an Ampharos. It stood proudly, waiting for orders. Lyra cringed a second. She went to summon her Feraligatr back, but it gave her a look that said 'trust me'.

"Use Thunder Punch!"

"D-D-Dodge! A-And use Crunch; M-Make sure to G-Get its tail! It's w-w-eaker there!" Lyra shouted. Her Feraligatr dodged left while the Ampharos charged at Feraligatr, missing. Lyra's Feraligatr turned, chomping down on the Ampharos' tail. He lifted the Ampharos into the air, spinning a few times before launching the Ampharos into the air.

"Now jump u-up and smack Ampharos down!" Lyra shouted, waiting impatiently. Her Feraligatr, despite its weight and stature, jumped up above and smacked the Ampharos down into the ground hard. The Ampharos bounced up, panting heavily while Lyra's Feraligatr seemed to be perfectly fine.

"Tsk, come on Ampharos. Don't be a burden to this mission and actually help us!" The grunt shouted, giving his Ampharos the death glare. The Ampharos huffed, and turned back charging at Feraligatr.

"Wait! Use hydro pump when I say so!" Lyra shouted out, more confidently than her other orders. Her Feraligatr shook his head, and waited until she shouted now. The Ampharos was blasted with water and flew back towards its owner. It bounced and skidded across the ground, unable to take anymore. It laid there panting heavily. The grunt cursed.

"Return! You're pathetic Ampharos," the grunt mumbled out, glaring at the pokeball. Lyra, angered by how he was treating his pokemon looked at her Feraligatr. Her Feraligatr shook his head and ran at the man, taking him out. The man dropped the pokeball as he smacked into the ground. Lyra ran up, snatched the pokeball and glared at the man.

"Don't treat your pokemon as tools of war! You're disgusting!" Lyra screamed, pointing at the man. The grunt, with his eyes wide, watched Lyra in awe. She looked at the pokeball housing the Ampharos then back to the grunt.

"You don't deserve such a great gift as this Ampharos," Lyra said, pocketing the pokeball. The grunt hung his head, and Lyra turned back around looking at the current situation. A huge fire had spread to the left side of the park. Lyra felt herself panic. What if people where there and were trapped?! She bolted calling at her Feraligatr to follow her. He shook his head and ran behind her.

Seconds later, she summoned her Furret and ordered it to look for any survivors. She turned to her Feraligatr, and pointed to all the burning trees.

"Put these fires out while I go look for survivors with Furret! If you see any Rocket Members, blast them away or something! Don't allow any more people to get hurt alright?" Lyra shouted over the roar of the fire. Her Feraligatr started to put out the fires while she ran off ahead after her Furret.

Her Furret was currently leading out a small child with auburn hair and crystal eyes. He was crying out for his mom as he hung onto Furret's back. Lyra pointed out where the exit was and thanked her Furret. She ran up ahead, searching around for anyone.

While walking, a burnt tree fell down in front of her making her fall down on her butt. She stood up only to feel a slight pain in her leg. She glanced down only to see a slight cut. She brushed it off, climbed over the burnt tree and continued her search.

Her safety wasn't important right now.

She made it to the border of the forest and sighed in relief. She was glad no one else was stuck in the woods. She turned back around only to have something catch her attention. Out of the corner of her eye was a Sneasel – Silver's Sneasel. She panicked at the sight of his Sneasel.

It was passed out, and looked like it had taken a lot of damage. She scrambled to Sneasel's side, feeling it's head. The poor thing, being an Ice type, had taken too much and ended up passing out. She screamed loudly for her Furret and felt a slight amount of relief when she appeared a few seconds later. She lifted Sneasel up and placed it on Furret's back.

She went to speak until Sneasel listed its small hand, pointing north. It opened its eyes a bit, and panted yet pleaded with its eyes. Lyra shook her head and understood what the Sneasel meant. Maggie was in that direction.

She patted Furret's head and pointed towards the exit once more.

"Carry Sneasel to Silver, and make sure he knows I'll find and save Maggie! I'm not letting her die today!" Lyra said confidently. Furret shook her head, and bolted fast as lightening out of the forest. Lyra stood up, feeling dizzy from all the ash around her.

She needed to find Maggie before something happened to her.

She charged ahead, ignoring the sounds of falling trees and focusing on breathing. She passed a few trees that weren't burned and felt a bit of relief. Not all of the forest was burning – at least not yet. She placed her hand on one of the unaffected trees and prayed for a second.

She prayed that no one would die and everyone close to her would be safe. She turned back around, huffed and bolted down through the trees. She stopped in a clearing to catch her breath, only to be taken away by its beauty. Thick, luscious tree tops hung over her head – some decorated with beautiful, colored flowers. A few stray vines hung from the tree's adding a type of jungle look. The vivid green grass stood and swayed slowly in a slight breeze.

Lyra would love to of sat there and relax, but she needed to save Maggie. She stretched her legs then continued her arduous task of finding Maggie. She ran past a few trees until finally hearing a slight moan. She turned to her left and saw the top of someone's head with black hair.

"Maggie?"

"L-Lyra!" Maggie screamed, tears rolling down her face. She hugged and hung onto Lyra, smearing her dirty face all over Lyra. Lyra shushed her and petted her long fine hair. Lyra bent down and ordered Maggie to get on her back – saying she'd give her the piggyback ride Silver denied her. Maggie jumped on her back and hung on for dear life.

Lyra took a deep breath and looked around once more. What way would be the quickest out? She looked all around, trying to figure out where she was. She bit her lip, unsure of where to run.

"Lyra?! Is that you?" shouted a familiar voice. Lyra turned, and felt herself want to cry in joy. It was Silver. Silver ran up to them, stopping and panting. She noticed behind him was her Furret and his Feraligatr. He glanced up at Lyra, his face dirtied from the ash and bruised.

Lyra reached a hand out, gently touching Silver's face.

"What happened to your face? Fist fight a team rocket grunt?" Lyra asked, examining his face. Maggie jumped off of Lyra's back and said she would go ahead with her Furret because she was scared and wanted her brother.

Lyra said 'okay' and watched as her Furret lead Maggie to safety. She felt herself sigh in relief. Maggie was safe for now. She turned back to Silver and felt a bit awkward. Silver looked at her wide eyed. Silver went to say something but was interrupted at the sound of another explosion. Silver cursed while Lyra turned and faced the explosion – and she felt instant fear.

It was coming towards them at an alarming rate. Lyra froze and closed her eyes getting ready to face her fate.

"Move you moron!" shouted Silver. He tackled her off the side of a small hill, holding onto her tightly. He wrapped his arms around Lyra, trying to protect her as they rolled down the hill. Lyra upheld all her screams mainly due to all this happening so quickly.

Once they stopped, Silver was still holding Lyra. He stood up, holding Lyra close to his chest and started walking off. Lyra was stunned. His face was placid and he just kept on walking. Lyra went to speak a few times but was stopped by the look in Silver's eyes. He seemed to be angry yet happy at the same time.

Lyra didn't understand him at all.

After a while, he placed her down gently and Lyra finally understood while he had been carrying her. That small scratch on her leg was actually full of pain – her adrenaline had been covering over the pain. She hissed as she sat down against a nearby tree.

She glanced up at the sky and felt herself grimace. The sun was setting – and she was in a lot of pain and extremely tired. She didn't want to move from where she was and placed the back her head up against the tree trunk. She let out a huge sigh.

"You okay?" Silver asked, placing his hand against Lyra's forehead. Lyra froze at the sudden contact – he was being kind. She shook her head 'yes' and he sighed.

"Good, Ethan wouldn't let me hear the end of it if you got hurt," Silver said soothingly. He patted Lyra on the back and plopped on down next to her. Lyra glanced over at Silver and flashed him a small, cutesy smile. Silver's eyes widen and his mouth hung open a little.

"Did you just smile?"

"What? I don't know, did I?" Lyra asked. Silver gasped and clung onto Lyra's shoulders.

"What is happening to you? No stuttering and even a smile? Are you… feeling okay?" Silver asked, looking at Lyra. Lyra gulped. She seemed different? That couldn't be, she was her normal insane self. Maybe she was being much weirder than normal. She frowned and glanced at Silver.

"S-Sorry."

"…What for? That type of change i-"

"Lyra!? Is that you?! Oh my God, my baby!" Shouted a woman. Lyra and Silver both turned to the voice – it was Lyra's mom. She was dressed in a summer dress, her hair all nice and done neatly, and makeup complimenting her facial structure. Lyra went to stand up but stopped at the sudden pain in her leg. She clicked her tongue off the roof of her mouth.

Silver stood up and held his hand out, offering to help Lyra up. She took his hand and he pulled her up. She stumbled getting up and he caught her. He straightened her up and told her to place an arm around her shoulders. She shook her head 'okay' and he helped her walk up the small hill.

Once they reached the top, Lyra's mom ran up and hugged Lyra. Silver step off to the side looking around the large crowd of people. Ethan's mom and his dad were hugging and reassuring a crying Maggie, while Ethan was sitting on a nearby stump. Ethan perked his head up and when he saw Lyra, he ran to her. He was about to say something until Silver stopped him.

"He-"

"No, let her mom handle it. You need to let her mom do her thing – go back and check in with your parents some more. You're not needed right now," Silver said sternly. Ethan glared at Silver, but listened anyways. He skulked on back and started talking with his mom.

Silver turned towards Lyra, seeing her mom still hugging her. Lyra hesitantly hugged her mom back and reassured her she was fine. Lyra saw Silver and she gave him a small little smile. Silver just rolled his eyes but Lyra swore he returned the smile.

"Who is that?" Lyra's mom asked, watching Silver walk off towards Ethan. Lyra bit her lip and curled her fists.

"T-That's S-Silver. He's one of M-My friends."

"Oh really? He seems nice."

"I-I guess s-so," Lyra said, sticking her hands into her pockets of her shorts. Lyra's mom turned around and grabbed Lyra's hand leading her off away from the scene. They stopped though when Ethan's mom ran up.

"Lyra! Thank heavens you're alright! Ethan was worried about you – Oh Hello there Miss Kotone," Ethan's mom said, stunned at the sight of Lyra's mom. She bowed towards her and smiled back.

"Hello, Yuki – it has been a while."

"Ah, that it has been. How have you been?"

"I've been fine, how's Ethan and Maggie doing? This is horrible…" Lyra's mom said, frowning at the marks on her daughter's legs. Yuki glanced down at Lyra's legs and gasped.

"Oh my, I hope you get better Lyra! I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay, so I'm heading back to Maggie. She's really traumatized I tell you what," Yuki said, waving bye to them. They walked off until Maggie ran up with Lyra's Furret behind her.

"O-oh it's fi-ine. You can H-Have her for t-the rest of the night," Lyra said, patting Maggie's head. Magge shook her head 'okay', hugged Lyra and ran back to her family. Lyra turned back to her mom, and started walking ahead. When they reached the car, Lyra saw her Feraligatr resting against the car waiting.

Lyra pulled out her pokeball, and went to summon Feraligatr back until it hit her gently with a stream of water. Lyra wiped her face off and felt her eye twitch. What was her Feraligatr doing?! She looked in the window and saw her face was extremely dirty. Her mom pulled out a small rag she carried around everywhere and handed it to Lyra. Lyra wiped and cleaned her face up real quick then turned back to her Feraligatr.

"T-Thank you," she said, hugging her Feraligatr gently. Her Feraligatr just stood there and cried out in joy. She looked up and gave him a small tiny smile. She summoned her Feraligatr back and looked over at her mom.

"L-Let's go home n-now. I'm really tired." Lyra said, jumping into the front of the car. Her mom said 'okay', got in the car and drove off towards their house. The car ride home was silent but Lyra felt different. She felt a bit better – like she was somewhat normal. She had given a few smiles here and there and even talked without stuttering a few times.

Was she truly getting better?

* * *

_**End of Chapter 5**_

_**A/N- Here you go! It's a really long chapter! I hope you enjoyed and stay tuned for Chapter 6! Reviews always appreciated! **_


	6. Hay Day and Marital Parade (Part 1 of 2)

**The Marked Feraligatr**

**Rated: M for Violence, Death, Self-injury Etc.**

**A/N- Sorry for not updating in forever. Life is chaotic, that's all I'm gonna say. So much has happened, by the time I told it all, you'd be bored to death. Please, I hope you can understand and I'm very sorry! The next three chapters are going to be over the span of a whole week.**

**Chapter 6 – Hay Day and Marital Parade (Part 1 of 3)**

* * *

"_Hey Lyra, let's go down to the farm," Ethan shouted out, as he ran up to her. Lyra jumped, spooked at his sudden yelling. Ethan sure was lively today, and seemed enthusiastic about the farm. She had not been to the farm since she was seven years old. She smiled fondly at the memories of her mom and dad smiling and picking apples from the orchard, herself running through the open fields of dandelions with her dad chasing after her, and the picnic they had as the sun set._

_It was simply the best day of her life._

_She smiled Ethan, holding her hand out for Ethan to grab a hold of it. "Sure, let's go now. The sun won't set for a few hours anyways," Lyra chimed out, eagerly waiting for Ethan to grab her hand. Blushing a bit, Ethan held her hand and walked in sync with her down the dirt path._

_Once they reached the farm, they ran straight to the farmer's house, asking if it would be okay to tour the greenhouse. The elderly man smiled and handed them the key._

"_You two kids have fun and don't forget to turn the keys back into me when you're done. Oh, and play safely," The farmer called out as Ethan and Lyra rushed towards the greenhouse. The elderly man smiled fondly at Ethan and Lyra. He missed being as energetic as they were._

_Ethan opened the door to the greenhouse, and being a gentleman, held the door open for Lyra. Lyra giggled and ran in screaming, "Thank you Ethan". Ethan replied back, 'no problem' and chased after her. They ran through the small greenhouse, playing tag and every once in a while, stopping to admire the flowers._

_The flowers were all bloomed into different colors, creating a pool of vivid colors that encited imagination in Ethan and Lyra. Ethan remarked at how the flowers made him think of a rainbow and what not, while Lyra couldn't help but think of her parents._

_She recalled one time when her mom was mad at her dad, that he drove out to a desolate field and handpicked one of the most beautiful bouquets she had ever seen. The way he had arranged the flowers, to the ribbon he used made her mom relinquish all her anger towards dad just because at how beautiful and thoughtful the gift was._

_When the flowers started to die, she pressed them out and framed them all in pictures. Every time a friend of hers came over, they'd glower at the pictures, wishing their husband was like her moms._

_Her parents were the perfect couple._

_Hours passed and they grew tired of the greenhouse. It was a lovely place, but they were ready to move on with the day. Today was Hay Day; the town was released from the shackles of work to party the day away and usually was a day most men and women would confess their undying love to their partners. A week after Hay Day the Marital Parade was held, showing off couples from newlyweds to the elderly, to appreciate and help spread the word of 'true love'._

_Lyra's and Ethan's parents were going to be in it, so it wasn't like they were going to miss it. They returned the keys to the farmer just as he was getting ready to head to town with his wife._

"_Here you go; thanks mister farmer!" Lyra chimed out. The elderly man smiled and patted them both on the head. _

"_Would you guys like a ride into town? I assume your parents will be in town since today is Hay Day," The elderly man said, opening the back door for them. His wife looked over and smiled happily at the children. Lyra and Ethan jumped in, excited for the Hay Day party. Everyone danced, laughed, and had an amazing time._

_The drive into town wasn't a long one but it still felt like decades to the kids. Once they arrived in town, the elderly man dropped the kids off at the center of town, wishing them a 'Happy Hay Day'. The two of them wished the same thing back to the elderly man and scurried off to find their parents._

"_See ya later Lyra!" shouted Ethan, waving bye to Lyra. Lyra smiled and ran off looking for her parents. She eventually found them, slow dancing in a local store that was cleared out for a place to dance. Lyra squeezed her way into the place, gaging at all the love in the air. _

_There was just too much for her heart to take. She was only ten years old! All this romance in the air was making her woozy. There's no way she could ever be like this! She shook her thoughts away, and made her way to the dance floor._

"_Mom, Dad!" She shouted, interrupting her parent's obvious romantic moment. The smiled at her lovingly and her dad picked Lyra up, swinging her around in a circle._

"_Hello, my little princess! I love you a lot," he said, hugging her. Lyra giggled and hugged her dad back, glancing over at her mom. Her mom smiled and leaned over, kidding Lyra on the forehead._

_Lyra's dad raced his hand into his pocked, fishing out a small golden heart necklace and passed it to Lyra. Lyra looked at it closed, observing that it was in fact a locket. She popped it open, gasping a bit at the picture inside._

_It was her and her parents the day at the farm all those years ago. She hugged her dad, screaming 'thank you' on the top of her lungs. Her dad and mom smiled and they all three hugged._

_Lyra's family was perfect._

Lyra felt her eyes were heavy. She slowly opened them and was greeted by the gentle rays from the sun, warming her face. She grimaced and rolled over, cursing her leg. The huge forest fire was over a week ago and her leg was still messed up.

How irritating. Lyra rolled over onto her other side and glanced at her clock. It was nine-thirty in the morning. Lyra sighed, thinking it was time to get up. Swinging her legs over and onto the floor, she took her time sitting up and shuffled her feet against the cold wooden floor. After a few minutes she stood up and walked down the stairs, rubbing her eyes.

"Good Morning, Lyra," Lyra's mom called out, making breakfast. Lyra stared curiously at her mother. She seemed to be …. Different in some respects. Her mother always made her breakfast, but today she seemed upbeat in some way. Actually ever since the forest fire incident, Lyra's mom seemed to be more involved with Lyra.

It was unusual.

Lyra plopped down at the bar, waiting for her mom to finish cooking breakfast. Lyra wasn't one to rush people and plus, she wasn't feeling too hot with a bum leg and everything. Lyra glanced around the kitchen and noticed all of dad's pictured flowers were gone and off the walls.

It didn't shock Lyra one bit. Hay Day was today, so it was obvious she wouldn't have those pictures up. The memories they had and the meanings they told would devastate their feelings today.

"I bet it feels nice to know you're the reason for your parents splitting up – you won't have to sit here for the rest of your life making up lame excuses," cursed out the torturous voice in Lyra's head. She winced and slammed her hand off of the counter, causing her mom to glower over towards her. Just because she seemed to be in a good mood lately didn't mean she was in the mood for tolerating her strange and insane behaviors.

Lyra frowned and said sorry towards her mom. Lyra's mom shrugged it off and continued to cook. Lyra looked at her mom's outfit and felt her mom struggling within. Her mom wasn't sure whether or not to celebrate today. Her mom's hair was nicely down, even her make up too but her outfit lacked its usual glamorous appeal.

Lyra's mom finished making breakfast and passed Lyra her plate. Lyra ate her food, contemplating what to do today. Ethan would be busy celebrating with his parents, and she wasn't sure what Silver would be up too.

Sighing, she looked over at her mom. She hadn't hung out with her mom and forever, and maybe she could use today to get closer. Lyra glanced over at her mom, wondering what they could do together to bond.

"H-Hey mom."

"Yes, what is it Lyra?"

"W-Well, I was w-wondering if w-we could han-ng out today," Lyra spat out, nervous by her mom's irritated look. She watched her mom's face turn with thought until she finally sighed.

"Sure, where too?" Her mom said, looking at Lyra for an answer. Lyra shrugged.

"C-Can we go v-visit the town? I B-Bet it looked b-beautiful today," Lyra whispered out. Her mother huffed, complaining she'd be a while and they would leave around twelve. Lyra shook her head 'okay', and marched upstairs to waste the time. She sat down on her bed and looked around her room for something to do.

She decided to get all dressed up and stood in front of her closet, trying to pick something nice. She ended up picking a simple yellow summer dress, and made sure to grab a pair of shorts to wear under. Even though she was fifteen years old, she still felt too childish to not wear a pair of shorts under her dress. She let her hair out of their usual pig tails and brushed her hair out, and put on no makeup.

She wasn't experienced with it and didn't want to walk out of the house and look like a clown. That would only attract unwanted attention and embarrass her mom and she didn't want that.

Unable to think of anything, she thought about going to the forest. She knew her leg wasn't in the best of shape, but the forest seemed rather clam lately, despite the fire that had happen. She grabbed her bag, throwing it over her shoulders and walked downstairs, calling out she we be back by twelve. Her mom replied back saying if she was late, she'd leave without her. Lyra shook her head 'okay', and left the house.

She marched down the street, thinking about what Ethan and Silver were up too.

"Ethan's probably already in town celebrating …. And Silver is probably being Silver somewhere," Lyra thought, trailing off in her mind. She started to replay memories from this day in her head, as if she was watching her life flash right before her.

Too captivated with her thoughts, she ended up bumping into someone on the desolate road to the forest. Terrified and shocked, she fell to the ground and backed up, looking down the whole time.

"I-I-I'm very s-s-sorry!" she shouted out, wincing and readying herself for some type of punishment. All she received was a chuckle. Glancing up, she noticed a familiar face – it was Silver.

"Good morning, you klutz," Silver retorted, grinning at Lyra. Lyra stared at Silver, feeling relief flow in her veins. It was only Silver, no one bad, and no one suspicious. She closed her eyes and sighed, only to open them up and see Silver's hand in front of her face.

"What, you plan on sitting there all day or what?" Silver asked sarcastically, growing more irritated by the minute. She slowly and gently grabbed for his hand, gasping a bit at his strong grip. Silver was really thin but wow, he was extremely strong, in her opinion. She looked at him, unsure of what to do now.

She could just walk away, keep on trekking on to the forest, but that would be rude right? Silver was someone who was nice to her, despite his general attitude to most others. She considered him a friend, though she made sure to use the term 'friend' very loosely. She wouldn't want to tarnish his name by associating him as her friend.

He'd end up in the same position as Ethan and she wasn't too proud of dragging him down. Lyra looked Ethan up and down, trying to figure out why he was out of normal self. He was wearing some pretty formal clothing. Maybe he was dressing up for Hay Day.

"What?"

"….You look rather fancy today," Lyra whispered concentrating her gaze on him. He looked rather cool to be honest. The way his hair cascaded down his face and shone in the sun complimented his mature looking outfit. He looked very, very fancy.

"Oh look at that, no longer stuttering are you?"

"W-What?" Lyra asked, unsure of what he meant. Silver sighed and shook his head, then glanced up towards Lyra.

"Nevermind. Anyways, since you're not doing anything today… Want to go hang out at the park or something? I'm rather bored and I don't have to be at the Hay Day thing till two today.

"Uh… w-well…" Lyra mumbled out, trailing into her thoughts. She really did want to go to the forest but hanging out with silver till twelve wouldn't hurt. She went to reply 'yes' but then her head ached.

"_He'll end up just like Ethan."_

"I-I'm sorry… B-But I can't."

"What? Why not? Are you busy or something?" Silver asked, irritated she wasn't free. Lyra bit her lip and curled her hands, looking off to the side. She didn't want to be a bother to Silver. Silver sighed and glanced at her, locking eyes for a second.

"What's up?"

"W-What do you mean? Lyra asked, as Silver got close to her face, examining her face. Lyra felt awkward and uncomfortable to have someone this close to her. Silver didn't know about what happened to her when she was twelve, but she still couldn't bare him being so close. She lightly placed her hand on Silver's chest and pushed him away.

"S-S-S-Sorry, I can't S-S-Stand have people so c-close to m-me," Lyra mumbled out, curling her hands once more, digging her nails into her skin. Silver clicked his tongue off the roof of his mouth and grabbed her hands.

"Would you stop stuttering like a two year old?! And also, look at your hands! If Ethan was here, he'd be pissed at you, I mean honestly, he's one day gonna kidnap you and lock you away. Tsk how annoying," Silver mumbled out, observing Lyra's hands. Lyra stood there sulking.

She couldn't help it.

Silver sighed once more and looked at his watch.

"It's ten right now. Let's go to my house and I'll fix your hands up. Geeze, if it wasn't for Ethan and me, you'd be nowhere right now, stuttering and ruining your hands" Silver blurted out, snatching Lyra's hand and forcing her to follow him. Lyra tried to loosen his grip but he tightened it and glared at her.

"I'm not getting in trouble by Ethan for not tending to your wounds. Anyways, it's not healthy to let dirt get in them anyways," Silver stated, as Lyra just stood there quietly, listening to him. Lyra shook her head 'okay', and silver grinned.

"Good, now follow like a good girl," Silver said, pulling her hand gently. Lyra followed after him, sulking some more. She appreciated his concern, but she felt bad for bothering him with her problems. As if Silver could read her mind, He spoke to her as they kept walking.

"Don't worry about it so much Lyra. I don't consider you or your problems a bother. I do however consider your defiance a problem." Lyra looked at him, shocked at what he said. She was defianant? Since when? Lyra didn't understand what he meant and was about to ask until he stopped and turned towards her.

"Home sweet home," Silver said under his breath, practically dragging Lyra up the staircase. She winced as her leg bumped against the last stair and Silver sighed loudly and angrily.

"Geeze, I don't understand why you're such a klutz; you've gone and injured your leg again Lyra! Ethan's gonna bitch at me for this," Silver spat out, glaring at Lyra's leg. Lyra frowned and shook her head.

"I-It's fine, don't w-worry about it."

"I'd take you up on that offer any day, but Ethan wouldn't be too happy."

"….Who cares?" Lyra blurted out, surprising herself and Silver. Silver stared at her wide eyed, and was so shocked, let go of her hand and gasped. Lyra felt herself get flustered and looked down. She said something stupid. She said something rude. She said something she was going to regret.

"I-I'm very sorry! I'm b-being very inconsiderate to you t-two!" Lyra shouted out, bowing towards Silver. She closed her eyes and waited for him to get mad but only received a laugh.

"I never thought I'd hear you say something so audacious like that!" Silver shouted out between his laughter. Lyra stood straight, unsure of why he was laughing. She cocked her head to the side slightly and gave him a curious look.

"W-Why are you L-Laughing?"

"B-Because I never thought I would see you not care about something. Geeze, Ethan would have passed out from shock, so, let's keep this to ourselves, shall we? He'll think I'm a bad influence," Silver said grinning.

Lyra shrugged, unsure of what he was talking about. Silver finally sighed and pulled Lyra into his house. He made her sit down at his kitchen table as he fetched a few bandages and something to clean the wounds she made. She sat there by herself, biting her lip and holding onto the hem of summer dress. She glanced all around his kitchen, noticing how clean and homely the place was. She stood up and walked over to the fridge and noticed a picture.

She examined the picture some more and noticed Silver and Ethan in the picture as little kids. Silver and Ethan were fishing and Silver was pouting while Ethan was smiling. Lyra found it somewhat cute of Silver to frown.

"…He really didn't change much, did he?" Lyra mumbled out to herself, lost in the picture.

"What are you doing mumbling to yourself? Trying to convince me you really are insane?" Silver spat out, glaring at her. Lyra looked down and retreated to the chair she was sitting in while Silver started to clean and bandage her hands.

"S-Sorry for snooping a-around."

"It's fine. I guess. Not like you stole anything," Silver said in a monotone voice. Lyra felt uncomfortable as he held her hands, washing them with what felt like acid and them putting the bandages on a little too tight.

She winched and Silver gave her a funny look.

"Something wrong?"

"J-Just a little tight, t-that's all."

"Hmph, it's like you want to bleed to death or something," Silver said sarcastically, causing Lyra to give him a scared look. Silver rolled his eyes and shook his head, chuckling a bit.

"You take everything too seriously, or just don't understand I'm a very sarcastic person. Which one is it?" Silver asked, as he gently picked up Lyra's leg to look at it. Lyra, getting flustered, pushed her dress down as it raised a bit. Silver snorted.

"Trust me, you're not my type anyways," Silver said, irritated at her 'unnecessary' actions. Lyra bit her lip and watched him clean and bandage her leg up. She went to thank him until he grabbed her hand, and kissed her hand. He looked up at her and grinned.

"Since today is Hay Day, I thought I'd give you my blessing."

Lyra felt her heart skip a beat and she sighed lightly in embarrassment. Her face grew red and she shook her head furiously, saying she understand. It wasn't uncommon for guys to kiss girl's on their hands on Hay Day. It was just a guy blessing a girl, hoping for her to find happiness. She knew he was doing it on ceremony, but still it was so out of the blue, it made her feel awkward. She looked up at him and he sighed.

"You just take things too seriously it seems."

"I-I G-G-Guess so…" Lyra mumbled out, standing up and looking at the time. It was ten thirty and she glanced over at Silver.

"So, uh, um…. W-What now?"

"Let's head into town. I'm sure the Party is already started. I'm pretty sure you didn't get all dressed up for nothing, so let's go," Silver said. Lyra bit her lip.

"I-I'm going with my mom though…."

"Call her up and say you'll meet her there."

"… I G-Guess I could do that…"

"See? Now, here's the phone. Call her and let's go."

"Okay," Lyra said, taking the phone from Silver's hand. She dialed to her house, and told her mom she would meet her there. Her mom said okay, and claimed she might be late due to something coming up. Lyra simply said okay, and hung up, handing the phone back to Silver.

She looked over at Silver who was already heading out.

"Come on, let's go, slowpoke."

* * *

End of Chapter 6, Part 1 of 3


	7. Hay Day and Marital Parade (Part 2 of 2)

**The Marked Feraligatr**

**Rated: M for Violence, Death, Self-injury Etc.**

**A/N- Sorry I've taken "forever" to update D:! I just hit a writer's block and what not. Let me tell you how "fun" it is :p… Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter. It took me forever to spit this damn thing out D:. On a side note, the Character Demyx is one of my friend's OC. She ended up reading this story and said: " You have inspired me! I'm gonna make my own story!" [Insert Honeyglow in my cheeks moment/ Super Happy/Excited that I can inspire people]. She's going to post her story on Fanfiction soon, so when it's up I'll tell you all about it :D! Anyways, Hope you enjoy the story! **

**Chapter 6 – Hay Day and Marital Parade (Part 2 of 3)**

_**(POV Change: Silver)**_

* * *

_The night sky exiled all the bright stars, casting a dark hue around the pale colored moon – Tonight just meant something bad was going to happen. Silver stretched his arms above his head, shifting his gaze towards the small town, loathing the town's existence. Nothing interesting ever happened and even when the moon looked like this the only thing that would happen is a Pokémon would get lost or someone would get locked out of their house – nothing major like a house catching on fire or burglars holding up a bank._

_It wasn't like Silver wanted something bad to happen, he just wanted the town to be livelier. _

_Every single day was the same and he simply couldn't stand it. People would waltz in and out of town at the same time every day, doing the same thing every day, and ending the day just like every other day. Silver sighed, closing his eyes and wondering if they town would ever change. He highly doubted it but he was able to have some type of hope, right? Silver glowered as the clock rang, shouting to the world it was midnight. He sighed once more, stretching his arms above his head._

_He needed to go for a walk._

_Silver skulked around his house, snatching up his jacket, his sneakers, and his travel bag before heading out. He wasn't going to go out walking around the forest or anything – With barely any light out tonight, he could easily get lost and he wasn't up for wondering around the forest aimlessly._

_He adorned himself in his jacket, tied up his sneakers, and threw his travel bag over his shoulders and made his way down the desolate path that lead to town. Silver felt pleased that he could leave the house whenever he wanted and return whenever he wanted. He had no restrictions telling him when to go to bed, making him do stupid chores, or stopping him from skipping school._

_Having no parents was awesome._

_At times, though, he felt somewhat lonely – but he had his Pokémon, and he would just talk to them. He didn't need parents when he had his Pokémon and anyways, his Pokémon wouldn't nag him like a mom and a dad would do, so by that stance, he was actually better off than most kids his age. Silver grinned devilishly at that thought as he started to make his entrance into town._

_He was one lucky bastard._

_Silver glanced around town, planning on what to do next. Since it was midnight, most of the stores were closed, making it impossible to get any shopping done. He sighed and plopped down on a nearby bench, thinking of what he could do. After contemplating for a few moments, he decided to stop by Ethan's house. While it was late, Ethan was probably still up since it was the weekend and Silver highly doubted Yuki, Ethan's mom, would have any problem with Silver stopping in for a bit._

_It wasn't like Yuki allowed Silver to do what he pleased though – Yuki was a mother and wasn't afraid to correct other people's kids. Silver shrugged his shoulders and started making his way to Ethan's house. On his walk to Ethan's, his main Pokémon, Feraligatr, summoned himself from his poke ball and looked up at the pale moon. Silver glared at his Feraligatr—what was he doing, summoning himself from his poke ball? Silver plucked Feraligatr's poke ball from his pocket and summoned Feraligatr back._

_Just as he was summoning his Feraligatr back, he heard frantic footsteps pounding off the cold dusty path and glanced over his shoulder only to see Ethan. Ethan was adorned in his usual attire but everything was messy! His hair was a-strew, his hat seeming to just be thrown on at last minute; his outfit was wrinkled to hell and his shoes were clumsily tied._

_Where the hell did Ethan have to go that was so damn important?_

_Silver stood still, waiting for Ethan to get near him. He had not seen Ethan in a few months and wasn't sure what the raven-haired boy was up too. Maybe this was some type of new ritual Ethan came up with – run around town looking like he just woke up. Silver's eye twitched at his own annoying thought._

_He would just have to ask Ethan what was wrong._

_Seconds later, Ethan neared Silver and Silver wasn't sure what to make of Ethan. Ethan's face was covered in sweat, dirt, and panic. What exactly was going on? Silver stepped out into the middle of the path, stopping Ethan._

"…"

"…_Silver? I-Is that you?!" Ethan roared out, surprised at Silver's sudden appearance. Silver grimaced at how obnoxiously loud Ethan was being – Yeah, it had been a few months since Silver last saw Ethan but Ethan didn't have to act so surprised. Silver made sure to visit Ethan at least every few months, checking up on him. _

_When Silver was seven, he and his family moved from New Bark Town, to some secluded house off in the country side. Silver, being who he is, loathed the countryside. It was too plain, too unpopulated, and too boring for him. Years passed and Silver couldn't stand the countryside anymore so he did what he thought was the most logical thing to do at the time._

_He ran away from home, back to New Bark Town. He was only thirteen at the time but his mentality was not that of a normal thirteen year old boy. He prepared a few weeks before, getting money, finding a place to live, and making sure his parents couldn't find him._

_There was no way in hell he was going back to the country side._

_Eventually, he made it to a small run down house, off the edge of town and he couldn't help but grin. He was free from his parents, from the country side, and from the mundane life he used to live. Silver was going to go back to school with Ethan, living the life he wanted._

_Unfortunately, he didn't think of all the years that had passed._

_Silver went to approach Ethan but realized Ethan had already moved on. He had new friends, always hanging out with them, his little sister to take care of and a really close girl who was a friend. Silver watched Ethan for a few days and noticed he was always with this young girl. She wore her hair in pigtails, and adorned her head with a puffy white hat with a red bow. Her blue overalls and her long-sleeved red shirt, made her look different from everyone._

_She was unique in the sense of her appearance. She acted quite peppy and happy, which was quite refreshing. Most people in New Bark Town were nice but extremely judgmental. One thing could ruin your whole appearance. She didn't seem like that at all; in fact she seemed accepting of everyone._

_Silver understood his place. He wasn't needed anymore. Ethan had a new best friend, a life that Silver wasn't apart. But he wasn't going to just stay away, he wanted to at least be friends with Ethan. He started to visit Ethan every month, saying that one day, he would move back to New Bark Town._

_Silver never told Ethan he had run away – that would only cause unnecessary drama. Instead, he hid in the shadows, waiting for the perfect time to reappear._

_**(POV Change: Lyra)**_

Lyra glanced around forest path as she and Silver traveled down it, unsure of what to say. She knew Silver for a while but wasn't sure what would be appropriate to talk about. He was always skulking, as if he was ready to attack and destroy anything that got in his path.

It wasn't like he hated people – he just had a low tolerance for bullshit. Lyra curled her fingers into her palm, lightly digging into her palm. She knew it would only anger Silver and Ethan, but it helped calmed her down. She understood it wasn't good either, but she needed to do it as well. Lyra bit her lip, wondering when they would get to town for the big party. Since it was held in Cherrygrove every year, it wasn't like it would take them days to get there – it was just the traffic was bad every single year.

People from all over the world would travel to Cherrygrove staying the whole week of the festival. First was Hay Day, the day in which people would flock to their loves, proclaiming how they felt and was just a joyful day in general. A week later, The Marital Parade was held, showing off couples of any age, to help spread the message of true love. Lyra pondered the last time she was there.

Did she tell her dad she loved him? Did she tell her mom she loved her?

Lyra shook her head and glanced forward only to see she was falling behind. Lyra's eyes grew big as she quickened her pace in order to catch up with Silver. Silver noticed and turned, glaring at Lyra.

"Stop falling behind. God forbid I lose you – Ethan would murder me," Silver spat out, motioning for Lyra to quicken her pace some more. Lyra complied because she didn't want to be a bother with anyone. Lyra sighed as she released her fingers from digging into her palm. She didn't damage herself this time due to the bandages already there, but she did make them loose. She breathed out, feeling some relief.

They kept walking towards Cherrygrove until a small voice stole their focus. Silver flinched while Lyra jumped, grabbing ahold of Silver's arm. Silver glared at Lyra, telling her to let go of him. Lyra, too shocked from the voice didn't hear him and only hung on tighter. A few seconds passed and Maggie, Ethan's sister, came storming down the path, adorned in a bright purple, summer dress and black flip-flops to match.

"Silvy and Lyra! It's nice to see you two today!" Maggie shouted, making a bee line to Silver. Silver shook off Lyra's grip and pointed fiercely at Maggie.

"Stay back, you heathen; I don't intend on hugging you today or anything. Keep your foolish feelings to yourself today, Maggie," Silver spat out, furrowing his brow and frowning deeply, trying his best to get the point across that he didn't want any type of affection from Maggie. Lyra's eye just twitched and she bit her lip.

She didn't understand why Silver hated such affection. He was normal enough for people to like him, to want to be around him and to strive being just like him. Lyra frowned – she desperately wanted to be liked yet that was impossible. Lyra glanced back and forth between Maggie, curious about what Maggie loved so much about Silver.

He looked just like an ordinary boy – despite his skulking and vicious attitude. But maybe, that's what made him so loveable? Lyra shook her head, not understanding herself; but then again, when did she ever understand herself? She was insane, not normal, a weirdo. Lyra bit her lip once more, piecing her lip and drawing blood.

As if on instinct, Silver stopped auguring with Maggie, glanced over at Lyra and caused Lyra to freeze up. Lyra gulped as Silver glowered at her, making her shift her gaze to the ground. Maggie didn't quite understand what the big deal was – Lyra was always hurting herself; it was the way she relaxed herself. Maggie knew it wasn't healthy and it made her upset every time she saw Lyra hurting herself, but what could they do to finally make her stop? Nothing – Lyra knew no other way to release her pain.

Silver reached his hands up, gently grabbing a hold of Lyra's Face, examining the cut on her lip. His cold gaze made Lyra feel guilty and she tried to shift her gaze but couldn't due to Silver holding her face. Silver sighed, liberating Lyra from his hold. Lyra frowned, turned and kept walking to town. Silver stayed silent, grabbing a hold of Maggie's hand and stormed off after Lyra.

Lyra felt ashamed and guilty that she couldn't stop injuring herself. It wasn't like she loved it, no, she just couldn't stop. She glanced over her shoulder, noticing Silver and Maggie weren't that far behind. She returned her gaze forward, wanting to desperately get to the huge party in town, so she could wander off and be alone. She wasn't in the mood to hang out with the others; she would only drag them down, pissing everyone off.

After a few minutes, they finally reached town and Lyra was amazed at all the decorations and people in Cherrygrove. The Town was adorned in beautiful elegant shades of pinks, yellows and purples, making the local cherry trees even more magnificent. Lyra breathed the scene in, implanting it in her mind. The festival was always a time where people from different areas in the world could come together, embracing love, not hate.

The festival would always be near and dear to Lyra's heart – despite the fact she hadn't been to the festival in three years. She couldn't bring herself to come because her family was torn apart. No more love. No more memories. There wasn't a point to come anymore – at least that is what Lyra first thought. The first year after her attack, there was no way in hell she could go - she was still a scatter brained insane person, her mother was trashed, and her father was long gone. They were no longer a family. They were a laughing stock.

The second year, Lyra didn't want to go because her mother was ill. Lyra wasn't that close to her mother but she didn't want to go by herself. That would only cause Lyra more pain and probably make her mother angry. The third year Lyra was asked by Ethan to go. Lyra loved hanging out with Ethan but her confidence and feelings towards crowds were unaccepting. She told Ethan no and scurried back to her room.

Lyra glanced around Cherrygrove, observing the people going to and fro around the town. A lot had to be done. Lyra felt a slight tap on her shoulder and glanced quickly only to see no one there. In the distance was a very familiar building – her heart froze. Her parents always went there and danced the night away during the festival. Lyra reached her hands towards her neck and tugged on the golden chain the hung delicately from her neck, revealing a small heart locket. Tears prickled at her eyes as memories of her parents raced by. Their eternal love was shattered all because of Lyra.

Lyra knew this – and she'd be a damn fool to deny it. She shook her head and realized she had drifted into the building. Glancing around she noticed the building was in the middle of being redone for the festival. Banners of red and pink hues flowed freely from the ceiling, the floor was glistening with a slick shiny coat of wax and roses of every color were scattered around in detailed vases.

Lyra immersed herself into the beauty around her, taking in everything her mind could hold. She wondered around a bit, touching the walls and the roses. She glanced over at the dance floor seeing the shadows of her memories taking place. Her mom and her dad dancing, and herself having a grand time.

If only one could live in their memories.

"Oh hey there! You lost, kid?" Lyra froze and shifted her gaze to her left and noticed a woman with blonde and brunette hair and a combusken. The woman was holding a ladder with both her hands which exemplified her fine and toned muscles in her arms. Her olive skin color shimmered with health and sweat, showing she was working hard at what she was doing. Her eyes shined with enthusiasm – it made Lyra tense up. This lady was extremely happy and peppy.

It seemed rather familiar to Lyra – the woman's attitude. Lyra flinched as the lady placed the ladder against the wall. The lady flashed a huge smile, stretching her hand out towards Lyra.

"The name is Demyx Ekkehard, and this is my combusken, Scorch! We're helping out with the decorations in here. They're pretty nice right?" Lyra glowered at the woman's hand. She felt intimidated for some reason. Or was it fear? Whatever it was Lyra's breath hitched and her heart beat escalated. Demyx raised an eyebrow, unsure of Lyra's reaction. Lyra kept glancing back and forth between her hand and the floor.

"Uh, are you okay? Are you lost perhaps?" Demyx gently placed her hand on Lyra's back, trying to reassure Lyra. Lyra froze up and fixed her eyes onto Demyx's hand. The sudden warmth she felt from Demyx's hand scared her. Her hand was way too close to her scar. Lyra backed up, holding her neck. Her scar burned.

Lyra didn't feel safe around this Demyx person. She wanted to escape but Demyx was blocking her way to the exit. Lyra felt her throat tighten up. Demyx slowly approached Lyra, reaching her hand out to Lyra's forehead. She withheld any motion from her body.

She needed help. She needed to be rescued.

"Who the hell are you and why are you so damn close to Lyra?" Demyx glanced over her shoulder as she ripped something off of Lyra's forehead. Lyra's panicked emotions dissipated from her chest and she too glanced at the door. There stood Silver. His red eyes seemed to glow with a black hue, his hair too. He wore his usual frown, glaring daggers at Demyx. Behind Silver hovered a black shadow.

"S-Silver…"

"Hmph. I had my Gengar locate you by making him place a curse on you. He was able to trace you by the curse's trail. You need to stop running off god damnit. If Ethan isn't the death of me, it'll be you. Geeze." Silver shoved passed Demyx, making it clear he wasn't pleased with her. Demyx puffed her cheeks up, glaring at Silver. Silver returned her glare with a menacing glare.

"What were you doing to Lyra?"

"I wasn't doing anything. She was just stan-"

"Bullshit, don't lie to me. Lyra doesn't just stand around. She's skittish, always moving about." Demyx scoffed and crossed her arms, glowering at the floor. Silver took one step towards her, poking her harshly in the chest. Her combusken, Scorch, growled at Silver. Silver rolled his eyes at Scorch and focused his attention on Demyx.

"You listen here. I don't like you. I don't care if what you say is even true. Stay away from Lyra. She doesn't need to be bothered by strangers. Understood?

"She can handle herself. You need to back the hell off! She was just standing there and something looked wrong with her so I asked! Sorry for being concerned for someone else. Oh and I don't give a damn if you like me or not – you can wait in the back of the line just like everyone else who's waiting for me to give a damn.

"Hmph, how original. I don't care for your childish insults and god-awful come backs. You're not from around here so don't get close to people here. No one cares if you're here. No one cares if you help. Just do whatever you need to do and leave. You don't have to pester random people like Lyra." Lyra flinched as they continued to attack each other verbally.

"Hey, what's the commotion all about?" A tall man came waltzing into the room, sending a questioning look at everyone. Demyx sighed loudly, turning to the man.

"This girl here looked lost, and now her friend here was just taking her back. Nothing major," Demyx lied straight through her teeth. Lyra grimaced as Silver took a hold of her, practically dragging her out of the building. Lyra couldn't help but stare at Demyx as she left the building. Demyx flashed a smile, and Lyra averted her gaze.

Silver sighed loudly, throwing Lyra's hand down to her side. She gulped as Silver started pacing back and forth, mumbling about how she was "a pain in the ass". Lyra examined Silver as he continued to pace. He looked worried – in the sense of getting his ear chewed off by Ethan. Yet something inside her said something else.

Silver's red eyes met hers and she quickly met the ground. His gaze was too intimidating. He sighed once more.

"Fuckin' finally," Silver spat out as Ethan ran and joined them. Ethan was panting as he looked up at Lyra. His face was flushed from running as he brushed his mouth for any extra spit that might of left his mouth. He stood up straight and breathed out deeply.

"Sorry I'm late guys! I had to help my mom with something, you know?"

"Yeah, fucking wonderful. Here, you watch Lyra now. I'm gonna go do something." Lyra flashed Silver a questioning look. Where was he going? Lyra wanted to ask but she wasn't too keen on being smacked in the face with a harsh insult. She kept to herself as she watched Silver storm off with his Gengar behind him. Ethan tapped Lyra on the shoulder, trying not to make her jump. Lyra turned slightly only to be greeted by his usual friendly smile.

"So, what are you going to do at the festival today? It's been three years since you've last gone, you know?" Lyra sighed lightly and showered her face with the sun's warm rays.

" I-I am just gonna w-walk around for a bit till my m-mom gets here. It's almost twelve. She said she'd be here at twelve. W-wanna walk w-with me?" Ethan smiled and reached for Lyra's hand, taking a firm hold of it and lightly kissed her hand. Lyra squirmed.

"Hah, Happy Hay Day, Lyra"

"Y-Yeah, same to you Ethan," Lyra started walking off with Ethan trailing behind her. She glanced once more up at the warm sun and took in the warm sun rays once again.

* * *

**End of Chapter 6, Part 2 of 3**


	8. A Twinkle in Her Eye

**The Marked Feraligatr**

**Rated: M for Violence, Death, Self-injury Etc.**

_**Important Note: I have grown bored with the way the story was going SO I'm changing it. The third chapter installment of 'Hay Day and the Marital Parade' will not be coming out due to the fact I had no fucking Idea on how to get across what I was saying/meant and was growing annoyed. So 'Hay Day and the Marital Parade' will only be two parts. I'm sorry if this ruins your day but I can't help it D:! So sorry. Anyways, I'll be taking the important events I was going to have in that chapter and save them for the following chapters. I hope you don't mind I just couldn't write anymore because it was becoming to stale for me!**_

_**Note for Kelsey: Demyx will still appear in the story, don't worry!**_

**A/N**- _Yo! Wassup Homies :P! I hope you have all be doing well and I just wanna say, I __**GREATLY APPRECIATE/TREASURE **__the reviews you all have posted! (You know who you are!) Anyways, I changed my profile up, stating why I haven't been posting as frequently. My Parents are getting a divorce so I've been dealing with that. But don't worry, I'm doing fine! So no need to throw a pity party lol! I know in the future, it'll be better – just gotta get through the storm first! Anyways, I hope you enjoy the chapter! _

_Oh and there's an appearance of a character from another story of mine I just started! Pokémon Mafia!_

**Chapter 7 – A Twinkle in Her Eye**

* * *

**(Maggie's POV)**

_Date: x/xx/xxxx _

_Mood: Content! _

"_It's not fair – Wept the Educated Man. _

_ It is not fair – Whined the Formal Man._

_ It cannot be fair – Stated the Realistic Man._

_ It will not be fair – The Catchphrase of Life"_

_ I made that up myself. I don't know why – maybe it was because of what I witnessed when I was younger. I watched my older brother's best friend fall into a coma after she was brutally attacked by some deranged man – some even said she was raped – but I don't believe that. Those are just the nasty rumors that were created to taint Lyra even more. I may have only been seven at the time – but I'm smarter than the average bear so I understood what was going on. Those heartless bastards went around town, screaming how Lyra was 'fucked up', ' a nut case', and 'A crazy person'. They didn't care what their actions would do and how they would affect Lyra – but that's obvious. _

_ If they did care, they wouldn't have even started the God-awful rumors. But I digress. _

_ When I first found out, I accompanied Ethan to the hospital; Lyra was like an older sister to me – I loved her to death. She was there to take me to the park whenever Ethan was off doing guy things. She would hang out with me, baking delicious deserts or just taking a walk around town, and I loved every single moment of it. I love my brother and all that – it's just the same type of love for Lyra. She's my family. I hate it when some foul-minded people say family is only by blood. I often reject that idea with great heat. It's stupid. If you're family by blood is awful, treat you like dirt, and disown you, why would you scrounge around them for love and affection? That's pointless._

_That's just plain stupid, to be honest._

_I honestly wish I could speak like this out loud but I'd shock everyone. So I act silly, just like any other ten year old. It's a wonderful act – people don't even assume anything. I'm just a silly ten year old who happens to be intelligent. I'll keep all my 'Non-ten year old thoughts' to myself for the time being. I don't want to ruin it for my mother. She doesn't see me as this – no one does. Just you, Diary. And I'm fine with that. My thoughts won't please everyone – because I see them for what they do not who they claim to be. It's quite simple, really. I just watch them. Most overlook their actions. I don't. How can one form an honest opinion about another person if they don't see everything? I can't fathom it. _

_It's perplexing. I'm stressing myself over this… I should stop writing about this for today. My head is aching… Hm. I wonder where Ethan is? I haven't seen him all morning…_

…_I feel like I'm being watched! I just looked over my shoulder and I saw Ethan's Marill. I forget her name… OH! It's Marina! Haha, I love her, she's so sweet. Oh, Diary, I don't know if I documented this, but one time, Marina blasted Ethan awake when he wouldn't get up for school! It was hysterical! I laughed so hard. Oh and today, I saw Silver and Must I say he is so dreamy! I want to hug him all day! But he doesn't seem to like me…. But don't worry, Diary. I'll get him one day! I'll build a trap, kinda like they do in the movies with a box and a stick, and in the box I'll put down a rare Pokémon. He'll waltz on by, notice the Pokémon and when he goes to capture it… BAM! He'll be trapped in the box…._

_Just kidding, that'd never work! Silver is too smart for that…. He's like a prince!_

_I wonder if he likes me… maybe he's 'playing hard to get'… whatever that means._

…_Well Diary, I felt like I've written enough. I'll see ya later! _

_BYE, BYE! _

Maggie tossed her Diary into her dresser, making sure to lock the draw she threw it into. She wouldn't want someone, like her stinky brother, Ethan, reading it. She dusted her hands off on her pink dress and then turned glancing around her room. It was another boring Saturday – and that meant lazing around. Maggie threw her hair up into a pony tail, using her favorite Pink and white Polka-dotted hair tie. She looked outside, trying to determine whether the gray sky meant rain or just a cloudy day. After a few minutes she decided to go outside. She raced down the stairs, running into the kitchen. She had to make sure to tell her mom – she wouldn't want her mom freaking out if she suddenly just 'disappeared'.

"Hey Mommy," Maggie chimes out, speaking in the dialect of a normal ten year old, "Can I go play outside for a bit?" Maggie's mom glances over her shoulder then back outside the window.

"But it looks like it's gonna rain soon, sweat pea. Are you sure you wanna play outside? I don't even see any other kids out there," Maggie's Mom states, pointing at the plain boring outdoors. Maggie shrugs her shoulders, making it clear she really doesn't care whether or not other kids are out there. Her mom sighs and smiles lovingly.

"Alright, you can play outside. But take Marina! Some stranger could want to kidnap you – and I'm serious about that, Maggie. You're really smart and a lot of people know it! They could want to use your little brain for evil," Maggie's mom chimed out sarcastically! Maggie replied with a simple 'okay' and ran outside, calling for Marina, Ethan's Marill, to follow after her. When she got outside, Maggie's face fell a bit. She knew her mother was only joking but she kind of seemed like she was hinting at what happened to Lyra three years ago. Maggie glanced up at the gray sky. The sun was hiding behind the clouds – maybe it was tired.

Maggie looked in front of her, humming a random tune she heard off the radio the other day. She raced forward running around in circles sticking her arms out like an airplane. Marina, Ethan's Marill, just plopped down nearby on the ground, watching Maggie have fun. Maggie stopped her fun, glanced over at the Marill and waved her over to join. Marina cried out with a happy cry and joined Maggie running around. Maggie was having fun until some neighboring kids ran up. Maggie felt her mouth go dry.

These we the same kids from the other day. She tried to ignore them but they were just crawling under her skin. The kids were glaring at Maggie, making it obvious they didn't like her one bit – but Maggie pretended she didn't care. On the outside, she looked like she was having fun by herself. On the inside though, she was lonely. She didn't have any real friends. Kids her age knew Maggie was super smart – and the adults, including their parents, favored Maggie. She was cute, smart, and just 'perfect'. Their parents would compare them to Maggie, wondering why they couldn't have been 'blessed' with a 'perfect' child like Maggie.

Maggie raised her head, scanning the situation. There were four kids; three males and one female. Two had black hair, one had red hair and the other was a brunet. The one black-haired child was the only girl, having scarlet red eyes and small freckles decorating her small but elegant facial features; her olive colored skin looking cool and dry, as if the anger that she was displaying was drying her skin up. The boys all looked similar in their appearances – jeans, a colored tee with a cartoon character on it and sneakers; their hair being messy as if they just got out of bed.

Maggie lowered her gaze to the ground. She didn't care one bit about how they looked – Maggie thought she looked similar to them. She had long raven-colored hair that cascaded down her back and a few stray locks flowed over her shoulders. Her vivid green eyes shined with a passion for life and learning, and her usual coy smile shined brightly with her bright pearly whites. Maggie looked similar to the girl that seemed to be leading the group but that was only because of their hair color. Maggie sighed and stared over at them.

"You guys need something?" Maggie asked, trying her best to act like a decent person. All four of them froze up, glancing over at Maggie and then snickering. The girl in the middle spoke up.

"Nah we don't need nothin'. We're just standin' 'ere because we want too. That a problem?" The girl rudely asked, crossing her arms and showing her nasty attitude with her body language. Maggie's eye twitched slightly as she replied.

"No, there's no problem with it. I was just curious because this is your third day in a row you've come here and done nothing but stare. Are you certain there is nothing I can do for you four?" Maggie asked, showing the aggravation in her words. She didn't like how they kept coming to her house, walking around as if they owned the place and could go where ever they wanted to go. The three boys laughed and started pointing at Maggie.

"She keeps talkin' too friggen proper! She's a weirdo!" chimed out the blonde boy, as he held his sides, laughing. Maggie felt her eyes dilate and her stomach churn. There wasn't anything wrong with the way she talked! The other black haired kid walked up to Maggie and pushed her down. They all started laughing hysterically as Maggie laid on the cold sticky ground. She felt tears slid down her face.

She just wanted friends – that's it.

"Hey! You damn kids! You better knock that shit off before I kick your asses!" Shouted a very stern voice. All four kids froze up, gasping at the sight in front of them. Maggie, too tired and not wanting to move, just listened to the voice. She heard footsteps and the kids that were bullying her were too scared to move. She glanced up and saw a familiar face.

It was her prince; her shining knight in armor – Silver. He was wearing the school's uniform, which wasn't required to be worn unless a special event was happening. The uniform was red and gold colored, having bright metal chains hanging off where the pockets were. He wore a silver-colored tie with it and sleek black formal shoes. He looked dazzling. Silver marched forward, grabbing the kid that had pushed Maggie to the ground and holding in in the air with both his hands.

"I don't give a fuck who you are, little fucker, but you better knock this panzy baby bullshit off. Picking on Maggie isn't cool, and I swear to God, I'll beat you the fuck up! Is this fucking understood, you little dipshit?!" Silver roared out, shaking the kid furiously. Maggie sat up, brushing the mud off herself as Silver continued to verbally assault her bullies.

"And If I see you four fuckers near this house again, I'll get my god damn Feraligatr out and have him rip you to fucking shreds! Is that clear?!" The four kids shook their heads 'yes' and Silver tossed the kid he had onto the ground. Silver glared at them as they all four ran away, crying for their mommies. Silver sighed, showing he was irritated. Maggie coughed, getting Silver's attention. He turned and lowered himself to the ground, brushing the dirt off her face.

"You okay there, Maggie?" Maggie shook her head 'yes' and he helped her up from the ground. Maggie smiled as he reached into his pocket, grabbing a cloth to clean her face with. He scrubbed her face clean and Maggie couldn't help but enjoy every second of it – to be treated like this was a dream come true. Once Silver deemed her face clean enough, he but the cloth back into his pocket and sighed loudly.

"Geeze, let's fucking get you back inside so you can clean up."

"Okay, Silver," Maggie cooed out, grabbing Silver's hand. Silver cringed and tried to pull his hand away but Maggie refused. Silver sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of his nose. Maggie smiled and started tugging on Silver's hand, saying she was read to be 'escorted' to her house. Silver just sighed and started walking, mumbling how he hated kids and how he'd never have any of his own. Maggie just smiled.

Once they were inside, Silver started explaining to Maggie's mother what happened while Maggie went upstairs to take a bath – she was in the mud and obviously not clean. She grabbed her rubber ducky towel, making sure to also grab her rubber ducky. It was childish but she loved having a rubber ducky in with her. It was fun and she simply loved playing with it.

After her bath, she raced back downstairs, hoping to see Silver – and he was still there. He was sitting at the dining table with Ethan, who was also dressed up in his school uniform.

"Hey, what's going on today at the school?" Maggie asked, popping down right next to Silver. Silver cringed as Ethan chuckled and explained.

"There's a fair today – we're raising money for the day care system! There's been a decline lately and we're going to provide money for the local dare cares so they won't run into debt so of course we gotta look nice!" Maggie raised an eyebrow. This was interesting!

"…Will there be a kissing booth?" Maggie asked, sneaking a glance at Silver, who obviously knew what she was implying.

"Obviously friggen not!" Silver roared out, causing Ethan to laugh hysterically and Maggie cry out in disappointment. Maggie's Mom entered the room, laughing.

"Oh my goodness, Maggie! Could you be so obvious about your little crush on Silver? It's adorable!" Ethan started laughing more as Silver banged his hand off the table and told them all to 'frig' off. Maggie blushed at her mother's statement and put her head down on the table.

"It's not just a crush! It's love mom!" Maggie blurted out. Silver stood up from the table, mumbling under his breath, saying he didn't have time for this bullshit. Maggie's mom walked back into the kitchen to prepare lunch while Ethan was recovering from all his laughter. Maggie sighed loudly and glanced over at the clock. It was almost One O'clock in the afternoon – when did the fair start?

"Ethan! When does the fair start?" Maggie asked, yelling at him from the other room. Ethan peeked his head out from the kitchen, glanced at the clock and smiled at Maggie.

"It starts at two-thirty. Why? Did'cha wanna go?" Ethan waltzed back into the kitchen, helping his mom. Maggie pouted. She did wanna go but what if those kids were there? They'd surely pick on her and it wasn't like Ethan and Maggie could defend her all the time. Maggie lowered her gaze and was about to say no until Silver returned.

"Of course she's going. We need kids her size to run around and pester the fu- ,I mean, heck outta the adults and get them to lottery tickets," Silver spat out, as if questioning Maggie's attendance to the fair was stupid. Maggie's eyes lit up and she smiled brightly at Silver. She raced over to him and hugged him with all her might. Silver cringed and started pushing her off of him but to no avail.

"Get off me you damn brat! So fucking annoying!" Silver roared out, trying to shake off Maggie. Maggie giggled, hugging on Silver. After a few minutes, and with the help of Ethan, Maggie finally released Silver from her mighty grip. Silver scowled at her as she ran upstairs claiming she had to get ready. Once Maggie was inside her room, she raced over to her closet, picking a deep green colored dress, black flats and threw her hair up into a ponytail. She checked herself out three times making sure she looked nice enough for Silver.

After all, he is her prince charming.

Maggie ran down stairs when she was done and went into the kitchen. By now Lyra was here, wearing the school uniform. She wore a red knee-length skirt and a short sleeved sailor top that was colored red, black and Silver. She had a small silver heart pendant pinned on her one sleeve and had her hair down without her puffy white hat on. Maggie smiled and waved at Lyra. Lyra only waved back. Maggie plopped down into the chair next to Lyra and glanced around the room.

Silver and Ethan were goofing around in the one corner while Mom was finishing packing up their lunches. Lyra kept staring Ethan. Maggie raised an eyebrow and felt a smirk adorn itself upon her lips. Did Lyra like Ethan? Maggie giggled causing everyone to look over at her. She only smiled at them and asked them if it was time to go yet.

Ethan glanced at the clock and then back over at Maggie.

"Yeah, we should be heading out soon. Once mom is done packin' all the food we'll head on out, is that okay with you Maggie?" Maggie shook her head 'yes' and waited with the rest of them for mom to finish packing the food. Once she was done, they all said their goodbyes and left for the school. The walks wasn't long at all but to Silver, it felt like forever. Having Maggie tugging on him every few seconds was mind boggling. He turned around, glaring at Maggie and demanded she stop.

She didn't listen though – she only giggled, said 'uh-huh, okay' and continued to hang onto him. Silver sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

Today was going to be a very, very long day.

Once they finally got there, Lyra and Ethan broke off from the group, saying that the teacher had assigned them to work the one game booth. Silver sighed loudly, waving them off. Maggie glanced up at Silver. He glared at her.

"What do you want? You're here – now go run around and do whatever you want to do, Maggie," Silver spat out, walking away from her. Maggie panicked and raced after him.

"I don't know what to do! There's a lot of stuff here, Silvy!"

"Don't call me that! And bug off you damn twerp! Actually, why don't you go meet the representatives from the Day Cares around here?! They're over there –"

"But, I don't wan-"

"Go! I'm not suggesting it, I'm telling you. Go away from me. You're annoying."

"Silvy! Don't say that. That's mean!" Maggie yelled out, coiling her hands into tight fists. Silver sighed loudly and stormed off, mumbling under his breath that he 'didn't have time for this shit' and 'wasn't her legal guardian'. Maggie pouted. She wanted to chase after him but didn't wanna anger him anymore or get yelled at. She wiped her face and glanced around the fair grounds. There was a great amount of people circulating around the place, checking out all the booths and just having a great time. Maggie ended up noticing a small building off to the side that said "Pokémon Showcase". Curious, Maggie walked up and pressed her face up against the window looking inside. She saw Pokémon from all around the world and they even had Pokémon eggs and descriptions of what they were.

"Are you looking for something?" Asked a calm voice. Maggie looked over her shoulder to see a young girl, who only looked a few years older than her, holding two pails of water. Her brunette hair, that's thrown into a ponytail, cascades down her shoulders. She has bangs that hang over her bright Silver eyes and was wearing a yellow plaid dress with a cream colored apron. On her head she has a small head band that is decorated with small colored flowers.

Maggie stares in awe at her beauty.

"Uh, you okay, Ma'am?"

"…Yes! I am!" Maggie cried out enthusiastically. The young girl chuckles and smiles.

"Well, that's good! I don't mean to bother you but could you open that door for me? The Pokémon are really thirsty!"

"No problem!" Maggie opened the door, holding it for the young girl to enter the room. Once inside, Maggie closed the door behind her. She walked over to where the young girl was and bent down to see what she is doing.

"… Are you hand feeding that Pokémon?" Maggie asked, tilting her head slightly. The young girl nods as the small Eevee ate from the palm of her hand.

"His mother isn't around anymore so I've taken it upon myself to feed the little guy." Maggie said 'oh' and continued to watch the young girl do her job. The young girl glanced over at Maggie.

"So what's your name anyways?"

"Maggie!"

"Oh well hello, Maggie! Nice to meet you." The young girl extends her hand out, and shakes Maggie's hand.

"Are you one of the representatives from a day care?" Maggie asks. The young girl shakes her head 'no' and stands up, dusting her hands off on her apron.

"Nah, I'm an apprentice though! I'm working under one of my dad's friends, Amanda. She owns the Day Care over by the entrance to the Pokémon league."

"There's a day care there?! Since when?" Maggie asks, surprised by that there would be a day care there. The young girl shook her head, smiling.

"Yup! Amanda relocated there saying we'd get better business. Well, she did before I started working for her. It's really nice – we're in a secluded area and it's really nice for the Pokémon too. They don't have to deal with loud and stressful noises from the cities or loud towns."

"Is that so?" Maggie asks. The young girl smiles and pats Maggie on the head.

"Yeah, it's nice. Well I'm sorry but I gotta go. The speech starts soon and my boss, Amanda is going to be talking. She's been in the business for thirty years and was asked to be guest speaker due to her large amount of experience. Good bye Maggie, I'll see you later maybe?

"Sure… uhm. I never got your name!"

"Oh, well, I'm Amelia! Amelia Bravefonte! Don't forget the name, Okay? One day, I'm gonna be a famous day care owner! Anyways, see ya!" The young girl screamed out excitedly. She raced out of the building, waving 'bye' to Maggie. Maggie waved back and when Amelia was gone, she sighed.

She wish she could be like Amelia in the sense of personality. She seemed very likable and friendly – something that apparently Maggie doesn't have. Maggie pouted for a few seconds until she heard a familiar voice shouting for her.

"Maggie?! Is that you? Yo- You damn brat!" Maggie cringed and looked over. She saw Silver marching towards her. She didn't know what she did but she didn't wanna hear it. She went to enter the building again but was stopped by Silver grabbing her.

"I thought I lost you! Why'd you wander off?!" Maggie felt her face go blank. He told her to go away and leave him alone! Why was he all of a sudden chasing after her? Maggie raised an eyebrow.

"You told me to leave you alone!"

"That, my dear annoying girl, has never stopped you before. I thought I fucking lost you and then I'd have to fucking listen to your brother bitch at me for losing you. Geeze, now come on. The speech is going to be happening soon." Silver spat out angrily as he dragged Maggie back to the main fair grounds. Maggie couldn't help but laugh.

She knew he didn't come after her because he loved her or needed her – it was only to protect his ass from getting yelled at by her brother – but her ten year old mind couldn't help but create another reason why. She was trapped in a 'castle'(the building she was just in)and he was rescuing her.

She smiled up at her prince charming as he dragged her to the main fair grounds, mumbling under his breath that 'he wasn't a fucking babysitter' and that 'Ethan needed to watch his own damn sister' and that 'he wasn't gonna find her next time'.

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** End Of Chapter 7**


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